Fire and Dew
by SaoirseParisa
Summary: Harper Maxwell's greatest dream was to own a farm and live her own life. Yuzuki's greatest wish was to finally spend his days without worrying about his frail health. Two people with very different lives, personalities, and passions find themselves walking the same dirt path every day. Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. Slice of life/Romance, OC/Yuzuki.
1. The Beginning of her Dream

**A/N** : Jeez, I'm barely done my Pokemon story, I'm one chapter away from fishing my Zestiria fic, and I'm already starting another multi-chapter fic? And for Harvest Moon, no less? AND I'm actually stepping out of my Mineral Town comfort zone? Well, might as well get the idea out of my head and onto the internet! Although this isn't the first multichapter HM fic I wrote, it is the one I'm the most inspired and motivated to work on as of right now. The idea just wouldn't leave me alone! So I caved and decided to write it out. Anyway, I hope you like it!

* * *

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Her Dream

It was when she was six years old that Harper Leigh Maxwell decided she wanted to become a farmer.

All it took for that dream to come alive was her mother to take her to a farm. It was such an odd place. Her mother said it was a petting farm. It was out in the middle of nothing but a grassy field that went on for miles. No tall buildings, cities, or other houses in sight. The only buildings there were a big red brick house and a matching barn. Harper had never seen a lone house sitting all by itself in any place before. She couldn't help but think that maybe the house looked lonely in this sea of green. She had seen many pictures of farms and barns in picture books, but this was the first time she had seen one in person. The big barn was so big, it looked like it might swallow her whole. Of course, the fact that it was a beautiful day out only made it stand out all the more. The sky was as blue as can be, nary a cloud in sight, and an ocean of green grass spread out all around it for miles. But to little Harper, the sky was so big, bigger than she, and it looked like it would swallow her up if she left the car. Of course, she knew she couldn't stay in the car the whole day. That was a rule. Taking hold of her mother's hand, she trotted over to the barn.

"Moooo!" A harsh bleat assaulted Harper's tiny eardrums, frightening her. It sounded like a bullet going off in her head. The girl squeaked before hiding behind her mother's legs, clutching the fabric of her pants. Where did that awful noise come from? Said noise made her ears buzz, and it hurt.

"Don't be afraid, Harper," Her mother's soothing voice reassured. It didn't work, as Harper shut her eyes and trembled. "It was just a cow. See? Look at the baby cow."

Cow? A baby cow? Slowly, Harper peeled her eyes open. Standing just a couple feet away was a young calf, with glossy white fur dotted with big black spots, like giant ink stains. The calf was just a little taller than Harper was by just a few inches, and it had soft, gentle brown eyes. Its floppy ears hung about its long face, and its slender, spindly legs wobbled as it walked over to them, like they could barely hold it up. Harper stared at the strange specimen in complete awe. She had seen pictures of cows in picture books, but again, like with farms in general, this was the first time she had ever seen one in person, much less up close. She had to admit, the cow was very different from all the dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, and birds she saw back at home.

"Isn't it cute?" Her mother asked. "Go on. You can go and pet the nice cow."

She could pet the cow? Harper looked up at her mother, her trembling eyes requesting further permission, like she couldn't believe any of this was happening. Her mother gave a reassuring nod, affirming what she said earlier. Plucking her courage, little Harper trotted out from behind her mother's leg, silently tiptoeing toward the cow. The calf simply stood in silence, watching as this strange new person approached it. The more Harper approached, the more she relaxed. The calf didn't do anything like attack her, run suddenly, moo in that loud noise, and so on. A little hand reached out to stroke its head. Glossy fur rubbed against her palm, soft but prickly, and it didn't pick at her skin like needles. The calf's head suddenly nuzzled against her.

Harper let out a merry laugh. This cow wasn't scary or mean at all! "Moo-moo nice!" Harper squeaked, stroking the cow's head once more.

Her mother smiled. "See? I knew you'd like it."

Of course, cows weren't the only animals the petting farm had to offer. Big, round, fluffy rabbits called angoras hopped all over the premises, looking fluffier than all the stuffed animals Harper owned. They looked like giant fluff balls rolling all over the place. Harper was so enchanted by the big balls of fluff that she chased a bunch of them around, managing to hug a few of them successfully. They were so soft and cuddly! Harper would rub her head against their fur, reveling in its softness. Some of the rabbits did wriggle out of her arms, but some were used to being hugged and quietly put up with it. Unlike the cows, rabbits didn't make those annoying moo noises, so for Harper, they were absolutely perfect. The farm even had young goats, wooly sheep, roly-poly pigs, and mother chickens with their baby chicks. She even got to watch a few of them actually hatch from their eggs inside the incubator.

"What do you think, Harper?" Her mother asked.

"Chickies! Chickies hatch!" Harper squealed, jumping up and down, unable to contain her excitement. She had never seen a chicken hatch from an egg in real life before, though she had seen pictures in a book. Now she was actually seeing it, and though the chicks did look kinda wet and dirty when they came out all covered in some weird yellow stuff, it was still amazing. Well, amazing from a six-year-old's perspective.

The farm owner even let her pet a few chicks that were outside the incubator. Six chicks were kept in a small cardboard box. Two of them were a mix of orange and yellow, like little fluffy suns. One was pure black, like the night sky, and another was a mix of black and yellow. But they were all so cute, and their feathers were so soft and silky. Harper couldn't resist petting the little chicks and holding them in her arms, even if their twiggy feet did dig into her palms and hurt a bit. It wasn't so bad that she'd yelp and drop them, as she was told to be very careful when handling baby chicks. She dealt with it, and the chicks made their little peeping noises, huddling up to the awestruck girl.

"Cheep cheep! Baby chicks!" Harper put down the black one, pointing to one pure yellow chick. "Your name is Sunshine!" Then she pointed to the black one again. "You're gon' be Blackie!"

Her mother could barely hold back a chuckle, her heart warming at the sight of her little daughter fawning over the little birds. But she knew they couldn't stay here forever. It was almost time to go. She looked down at her watch. It was 4:24 PM. They needed to return home before dinner time.

"Alright, Harper. We have to say bye-bye to the chicks now," Her mother told her gently. "Let's go to the bathroom and wash our hands."

Realizing what this meant, Harper let out a shrill, disappointed cry. "No! I wanna stay! I love chickies!" Harper protested.

"I'm sorry, girl. We have to leave soon. It's almost 4:30," Her mother reminded her, keeping her voice gentle but still firm. "The farmer says we have to wash our hands before we leave, so let's go."

Although it wounded her little heart to leave, Harper knew she couldn't disobey her mother. Those were the rules. If they had to be home before five, they had to get home no matter what. That was important. "Okay," Conceding defeat, Harper said a last goodbye to the chicks. "Bye-bye, chickies!" She waved at them like they were people. The chicks didn't pay much attention to her, not that Harper noticed nor cared.

Mother and daughter washed their hands in the bathroom before leaving, as that was the rule at the farm. The farmer said that sometimes animals could get dirty and pass on germs that could make people sick. Harper didn't want to get sick, but she didn't like washing her hands. Using those weird soaps in other bathrooms always made her feel weird. They just weren't the nice soap she would use at home. It wasn't the same. Still, she washed her hands as asked and then they left. But before they got to the car, Harper's mother began talking.

"Well, Harper? Did you have fun at the farm?"

Harper nodded. Of course she did! She loved everything. The cows, the chicks, all the other animals...it was super fun! She then made an unexpected announcement. "Gon' live here! Forever and ever and ever and ever!"

Once again, her mother laughed. "Oh, you want to live there now, don't you?"

"Yep! Yep! Yep!" Harper chirruped, throwing one arm out into the air.

"I see. You must have really enjoyed yourself," Her mother opened the side door so Harper could crawl into the backseat. "Well, we can't live there. But maybe we can go back again another time since you love it so much," She suggested.

Loving the farm didn't even begin to describe little Harper's feelings at that moment. Understatement of the millennium. Harper didn't want to come back again. She wanted to live there all the time, so she could play with all the cows, chicks, rabbits, pigs, and all the other animals. It was like her personal heaven, the place she always dreamed of going to, the place in her imagination. She could picture it now: Harper all grown up, frolicking in a field of flowers right near a farm. All the animals she loved dearly loved her back, and would run around and frolic right alongside her. She would plant lots of pretty flowers, especially her favorites like lilies, sunflowers, and morning glories. Particularly blue ones. The blue ones were always the best.

That's it! A light bulb flashed in Harper's brain. Actually, it didn't flash. It blared, blinking on and off at warp speed. Harper could become a farmer! She could get her own farm when she grew up and get her own animals! It would be absolutely perfect.

"...arper?"

Another voice called her. But it wasn't her mother's voice. This one was much younger, higher pitched, like her own.

"...Harper?"

There it was again. Suddenly, everything went white.

"Hello? Harper! Wake up already!"

* * *

"Huh? Wha?" Harper, now 21 years old, suddenly sat upright, the high pitched voice that kept calling out to her still ringing in her hypersensitive ears. Her chin-length, deep chocolate brown hair was only slightly disheveled from resting on one of the many pillows on her bed, with some strands sticking upward, defying gravity. Her round glasses still stayed on her face, though one of the lenses dug into the bottom of her eye socket a little bit, obscuring her dark green eyes. Sunlight streamed through her window, meaning it was still daylight out as far as her weary mind could comprehend.

She was, however, able to process the appearance of a little girl younger than she standing next to her bed. The little girl was about ten, with long, dark, golden brown hair cascading down past her shoulders and blue eyes. In her hair were tiny, baby blue flower hair clips putting pieces of her hair into little pigtails, with the rest of it being let down.

"Jeez, Lynn. Seriously?" Harper grumbled, pushing a hand through her disheveled hair. "You just haaaad to wake me up from a nice dream, didn't you?"

Lynn narrowed her eyes at her big sister. "Why were you even sleeping at 3:30 in the afternoon anyway?" She asked, her high pitched voice adopting an authoritative tone, like that of a police officer interrogating a criminal. "You never take naps. Mom and Dad usually do that."

"What? A girl can't have a little rest after hours of picking berries from the blueberry farm down in Reedsburg?" Harper retorted, putting her glasses back to their regular position. Immediately, her vision returned to normal. "Then again, I should be asking what you're doing in my room to begin with."

It wasn't as though Lynn was unwelcome in her room. To be fair, Lynn was always careful about not touching Harper's things and messing things up. Lynn was raised better than that. Besides, Harper did love Lynn's company. After all, she was her little sister, and her favorite sister. Well, her only sister, but still her favorite sister nonetheless.

"I just wanted to ask if you've seen my toy camera," Lynn explained. "Y'know, the one where you push a button and the pictures scroll around in a circle like a kaleidoscope?"

Immediately, Harper straightened herself up, picturing the toy camera in her mind in question. It was a little pink trinket Lynn had bought on a recent trip to a store in their local mall called Party Town. It wasn't worth much, and it was just a silly little thing. But Lynn kept looking through it non-stop since she had gotten it. It was kind of cute to see her little sister so obsessed over a one dollar toy.

"Didn't you leave it on Dad's desk yesterday?" Harper suggested, removing herself from her bed and walking over to her own desk.

Lynn's blue eyes shrunk, the realization striking her like a lightning bolt. "Ohhhh! I'll go check!" Just like that, Lynn sprinted out of the room. She came back just as quickly, tiny pink camera toy in hand, beaming. "Found it! Thanks, sis! You're the best!" With a joyful squeal, Lynn leaped onto her older sister, wrapping her arms around her in a big hug.

Touched by the gesture, Harper reached a hand down and stroke her sister's hair with it. "Jeez. Excited much? Well, you're welcome," Harper told her.

Nodding gratefully, Lynn released her older sister from her grip, stuffing her toy camera in her baby blue cardigan pocket. But she didn't leave her sister's room. She just crawled onto Harper's bed and sat next to her, looking all around. Salmon-colored walls with large pink and purple flowers painted on them surrounded her, looking permanently cheery and serene. Stuffed animals such as cows, rabbits, chicks, and sheep completely dominated the top of a tall white bookcase, filled to bursting with everything from books, DVDs, mini figures, and other odds and ends. The top of her white dresser mostly had little boxes and picture frames sitting on it, all depicting Harper and Lynn with their parents. But she couldn't help but notice something was missing.

"How come all your pictures with Leah are missing?" Lynn asked, swinging her legs thoughtfully. She had thought about asking her sister this question for a while now. A couple weeks, to be specific. Why not ask now?

"Leah?" Harper raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Yeah! Y'know, your girlfriend!" Lynn clarified. "She doesn't come over anymore. Why is that? Did you guys fight or something? Or did something bad happen?"

She could see her older sister's face darken at the mention of Leah's name. Lynn's eyebrows shot up. She only saw that look when something was really, really bothering her, deep within the deepest depths of her soul. Something serious must have happened if Harper made that kind of face. Harper reached over to the top of her bed, grabbing a small, white sheep doll, holding it close and tight, like she wanted something to hold on to.

"Leah Salinger's not my girlfriend anymore," Harper explained, her voice uncharacteristically low, almost bordering on angry. "We broke up a few weeks ago."

"Whaaaat?" Lynn's mouth fell wide open in surprise. Then her shock turned into sadness and disappointment. "Awww. That stinks."

"Sorry, Lynn," Once again, Harper ran a hand through her sister's hair. "I know you liked her a lot."

"What happened?" Lynn asked. She had always been told to keep her nose out of other peoples' affairs, especially when it came to serious stuff like this. But Lynn wasn't asking these questions to be mean or tease her big sister. The two usually talked about everything together, even though Lynn was ten years younger than Harper. Being a naturally curious girl, Lynn always wanted to know pretty much everything. It helped that Harper didn't mind telling Lynn about things like this. "Why did you guys break up?"

With a bitter groan, Harper plopped onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling with dark eyes, green with anger that was dying to come out. "Ugh! It was awful, Lynn! Just plain awful!" Harper exclaimed. Lynn scooched sideways a bit to give her sister some space, readying herself to hear more. "Remember how I told Mom and Dad that something seemed off about Leah? How she suddenly kept showing me off to her friends and then suddenly acting like I didn't exist afterward? Well, Tiffany heard Leah say that she was only using me to make herself look good, saying that befriending an autistic girl like me was a great way to earn brownie points with her new friends!"

Again, Lynn's mouth fell open again. This time, she looked more confused than anything. Why would Leah do that? The last time Lynn had seen her, she had been so nice and friendly, towards both her and Harper. So friendly, in fact, that whenever Lynn saw Harper and Leah together, whether it was kissing, hugging, or just saying a bunch of mushy lovey-dovey stuff to each other, she wanted to vomit from the excessive saccharine-ness of it all. Leah still kept in contact with them even after Harper and the rest of the family had to move away, and it helped that Leah could drive, so they could still see each other and go on dates. The person Harper was describing didn't sound like Leah at all as far as Lynn could tell.

"So the day after that, I confront her about it, and...God!" Harper buried her face in her sheep doll, voice muffled. "She kept telling me she loved me all throughout our relationship...and then I demand answers from her and she's suddenly all, ' _Oh, guess what, Harper? I never loved you at all. I only used you to make my former friends like me again, and I've decided you're nothing but an inconvenience! I don't want a crazy, farm-loving retard for a girlfriend, so go away forever and leave me alone!'_ Can you believe it?! She freaking threw me away like garbage!" At this point, Harper's voice rose an octave, bordering on screaming.

There was a brief silence. Lynn had no idea what to say. Eventually, she did manage to get one thing out. "Whoa. She actually did that?"

"YES!" Harper bellowed, pounding her fist into her comforter. "But you wanna know what really killed me? She just went on and on and on about how I was cramping her style by not being like everyone else, how she hated _this_ about me, how she hated _that_ about me, how I was embarrassing her every time she was seen with me, how I needed to be normal and like everyone else, how she always felt she had to put up with me and acting like I'm some kid who throws tantrums over every little thing, acting like the whole thing is somehow my fault for not being good enough and how I've been nothing but a burden on her...good lord, I could go on for hours! And I already told Mom and Dad everything last week, so...uuuuugh!" Harper groaned loudly.

"Ouch," That was all Lynn could think to say.

"Ouch doesn't even BEGIN to cover it," Harper sat right up like a jack-in-a-box, blinking away any tears that dared to try and spill out from her eyes. "Well, you know what? I'm not down for that crap, so I gave her a piece of my mind!"

"What'd you do?" Lynn asked, curious to know more.

"I gave her the biggest verbal smackdown ever and told her some things that you're better off not hearing," Harper explained, pushing some hair out of her face. She didn't think Lynn needed to hear any of the details. Lynn was only eleven, and there were some things in life that Harper didn't want her to see, hear, or know, even though the logical side of her told her that when she grew up, Lynn was likely going to learn about them anyway. "And then Tiffany outed her to her friends and told them all about her little scheme, because she's awesome like that. Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, I hope stupid, shallow, empty-headed Leah lives a dark, lonely, friendless life. She can suck it!"

As dismissive as her tone was, Lynn could hear the pain in her voice. Harper could feel it in every fiber of her being. Hearing Leah's true feelings about Harper was like having a million knives cutting through her heart, slicing it into a million pieces. They had been going out for about a year and a half, and all throughout that time, Lynn saw that Harper was happy. Much happier than she had ever been. It wasn't like Harper wasn't happy before dating Leah, but her older sister did sometimes dream of being with a special someone. It was like Harper had turned into a set of Christmas lights that glowed all throughout that year and a half, without ever turning off. But that radiance had since died.

"...I don't know what I even saw in her to begin with…" Harper looked down at her sheep doll, clutching it tightly, her voice trembling.

It was then that Lynn wrapped her arms around her sister once more. She wished she could do more for her. But what could she do? Lynn was just a little girl who didn't know much about the adult world and dating. Anger at Leah bubbled up inside her heart, though there was more room in her heart to prioritize comforting Harper over that. Her sister needed someone to be there for her. Sure, Lynn knew just hugging her wouldn't fix everything, but she wished hugs could. As far as she was concerned, Harper didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve it at all.

"I'm sorry, big sis," Lynn whimpered.

"What are you sorry for?" Harper asked, stroking her sister's hair, grateful for the consoling gesture.

"I wish I could help somehow…Leah shouldn't have done that to you!"

This time, Harper wrapped an arm around Lynn and pulled her close. Her wool cardigan was particularly warm and soft on the exposed skin of her arm. She liked how it felt, especially since the air was frosty with frigid December air. Still, her heart warmed at her sister's understanding and support.

"Just you being here is helping a lot," Harper reassured. "You know what? Screw Leah! I have better things to do than be her chew toy! Or anyone's chew toy for that matter!"

Lynn couldn't agree more. "Yeah! You deserve someone way better, who likes you for you!" She exclaimed, pumping her fists in the air. "Even if you can be kind of a meathead sometimes."

Meathead? Harper shot a glare at her younger sister. "What was that?!"

Lynn squeaked, "Eeeek!" and sprinted off the bed, knowing what was coming. With a mock battle cry, Harper gave chase, running around the room and making fake growls like she was a lion about to pounce on her prey. Lynn screamed playfully, running up and down the halls as her big sister was on her tail.

"Come here, you little she-demon!" Harper roared.

Suddenly, before Lynn could react, the older girl leaped right on top of her, and before long, the sisters were laughing and wrestling on the floor. Harper wrapped one arm around Lynn's neck, trapping her in a headlock, and rubbed her sister's head with her other hand, giving her a noogie. Lynn could only laugh in defeat as her carefully done hair was being messed up and ruined by her beastly big sister.

"Harpeeeeeer! Quit it!" Lynn laughed in mock indignation, feeling the static in her hair as Harper rubbed her head faster than the speed of light. She kicked her legs on the floor and struggled to crawl out of Harper's grasp. Too bad it didn't work, what with Lynn being a little girl of eleven.

Unbeknownst to them, a woman stood by the entrance to Harper's room, watching the joyful scene play out before her. Her golden blonde hair reached down to her chin, curling at the ends, and her deep blue eyes watched as Harper continued to subject Lynn to her specialized noogie. She wore a white and red coat over an orange blouse with a big ribbon on the front, a long, darker yellow gingham skirt with orange lines all over it, and black high heels. She smiled as Lynn protested further, conceding defeat.

"Okay, okay! I give, I give!" Lynn cried.

"Alright, girls, settle down," The woman told them.

Upon hearing her voice, Harper finally released Lynn. "Hi, Mom!" Both girls suddenly sputtered in unison, hoping she didn't see the entire brouhaha.

Their mother could only chuckle. "Goodness, I can hear you two all the way from downstairs," She explained, her voice low but soft like the chime of a silver bell. "Your father's going to be home in a few more hours, so would you mind unloading the dishwasher, please?" She asked politely, wrapping her finger around the yellow ribbon on her blouse. "I'd really appreciate it."

Harper stood right up. "Sure! We can do that," She gently tapped Lynn on her shoulder. "You handle all the spoons, forks, and knives, and I'll put the cups and dishes away."

"Okay!" With that, both girls headed right downstairs, passing their mother as they traversed through the corridor. She simply laughed as she heard the girls get right back to talking as soon as they got to the kitchen. But when she got downstairs, they were at work putting the dishes away, so that was alright. After that, she decided to get some of her laundry done.

* * *

Harper and Lynn were in the living room, with the light brown coffee table covered with textbooks and papers. Lynn sat hunched over on the table, her blue eyes focusing intently on the English worksheet before her. Harper sat on the floor next to her, with a book in her hand, only it wasn't a textbook, but a book Lynn had to read for her English class. A small book, but it had a lot of pages, and the cover showed a young girl draped in a black, tattered dress, holding a pretty little porcelain doll, and who had a sorrowful expression on her face. But Lynn kept tapping the end of her pencil against the table, making a repetitive, monotonous cacophony that did pass the time.

"I don't get this question," Lynn groaned. Harper leaned over to look at the question that had her sister so stumped. It was question #12, and it read: ' _The little boy Donald gives Sara a sixpence, and although she accepts it, Sara isn't happy with the gesture. Why is that?'_ "Why wouldn't she be happy with someone giving her money?"

"Well," Having read the book many times for fun, Harper knew how to help with this one. "You have to remember, Lynn, Sara imagines that she's a princess all the time, even though she's a servant now. Even though she's poor, she doesn't want to be perceived as such. She doesn't want people to feel sorry for her and doesn't want people to just give her money."

Lynn looked up at the ceiling, pondering Harper's explanation.

"Let me put it this way," Harper continued on. "How about, for example-"

Suddenly, the door creaked wide open, and in came a tall, well dressed man with smooth dark blonde hair and tired blue eyes that were the same color as Lynn's. The girls immediately turned around, taking in the man's presence with wide eyes. The man used his arm to wipe some sweat off his brow, admittedly leaving some wet marks on the dark sleeve of his black suit.

"Hey Dad!" Both girls exclaimed in unison.

"Hello, girls," Their father returned the greeting, his deep voice adopting a tiredness to it as he let out a sigh.

"Welcome home, Daryl," The girls' mother immediately walked into the living room. "Dinner's about to be ready soon, so-"

Daryl held a hand out, preventing her from talking further. "Thanks, Marlena. But you all might want to sit down," He addressed all the girls in the house. "Family meeting."

Both Harper and Lynn exchanged confused glances. A family meeting? Right when he just got home from work? This was both rare and sudden, as he usually held family meetings for when something was very important that needed to be discussed right now. Daryl sat right down on the second couch, and Marlena sat next to him soon after. Lynn and Harper sat parallel to them, on the other couch, so they all sat parallel to the little coffee table covered with Lynn's school papers. Homework and dinner were immediately put on hold.

"What's this all about, Dad?" Harper was the first to ask once everyone settled down. "It's rare for you to hold a family meeting right as you come home from work. Aren't you tired?" She could tell from the way her father kept shrugging his shoulders and sighing that work must have been tiresome. Some strands of his hair had come loose, and he always took care to smooth his hair down every morning.

Daryl cleared his throat. "Yes, about that...I know this is sudden," He began. "But we're going to be moving at the end of this February."

Moving? "Again?!" Harper was the first to protest. "We literally just moved here not even a year ago, right after my college graduation!" She exclaimed, her voice louder than all the rest.

As much as Harper hated the announcement, she did see it coming in a way. Her father's job involved foreign trade, and sometimes his company would make him and his family move to various places around the country. The absolute specific details were lost on her, and Daryl did try to explain it to her once, but it was too complicated for her to comprehend. Stuff about trade regulations, international politics, and so on. Subjects far outside her realm of understanding. Although they didn't move often, it had become a little more frequent in the last few years. Harper had to transfer colleges after she completed her second year because they had to move, and they moved again after she graduated from her second college. Harper was lucky they didn't move too far away from where her friends lived, that way she could still see them every now and again. She was honestly surprised that she didn't move so far away that she couldn't go on dates with Leah whenever possible, so that was a plus...before she found out the truth.

Lynn's protest was a bit more subdued. "Awww. I really liked this town, too," Lynn bemoaned this new development.

Marlena's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked at her younger daughter with sympathy. "I know, girls. This is hard on all of us. Moving is a part of your father's job. I wish it wasn't, but try not to be too hard on him."

"I know," Harper said. Of course, she knew her father wasn't deliberately trying to jerk them around, so she understood that. Still, she wished she could just stay in one place and not have to worry about all the new stuff. New places, new people, new things to do, so many new things that Harper would have to learn. Just when she'd gotten used to the new place, they would have to move again, and it would throw everything out of alignment, especially everything in her mind, body, and soul. There had to be a limit to all of this.

As Harper was lost in her mind, Marlena turned to her husband. "So where are we going next, darling?" Marlena asked.

"Well, we're moving west, to a town called Beldingsville," Daryl explained, crossing his arms, one of which accidentally pushed his blue handkerchief out of his suit pocket just a little bit. He flashed a friendly, coy smile at his wife. "It's right near the beach, so you'll be able to go whenever you'd like."

Immediately, Marlena's eyes sparkled at the new information. "Ooh! That sounds wonderful!" Her hands flew to her cheeks. "Maybe I'll finally be able to work on my tan."

"The beach?" Lynn was already curious, and a big smile spread across her face. "I wanna go to the beach!" She was already kicking her legs, so much so that her light blue shoes threatened to fly right off, and her red checkered dress moved in time with her kicks.

In contrast, Harper shivered. Just the thought of a large body of water anywhere near her made her wince. She averted her eyes from her father, focusing instead on Lynn's homework. Her younger sister's handwriting was neat and tidy, with lots of round corners on everything, even the L's and N's. Lynn even added a flower on top of the first letter of her name. Harper wondered if Lynn thought about adding some leaves and roots to make it look more realistic.

"I regret having to put you all through this so often," Daryl told them, his voice low but somewhat wistful. "Unfortunately, it's out of my hands, so try to understand. Besides, the new house is much nicer and bigger than this one," He continued on. "There's a beautiful nature park we can take walks through, and I hear there's a lot of wildlife, too, especially deer."

"Wow, really? Now I'm curious!"

At this point, the voices around Harper began to morph into white noise. Everything was starting to build up inside of her, piling on like someone was making a big pile of rocks that was ready to topple at any moment. She did try to understand. She understood this was the nature of her father's job for years now. Of course she understood. But that didn't mean she had to accept it, much less like it. She knew he was only doing it to support them financially, and times were admittedly tough. This was important to him and the rest of the family. Still, Harper couldn't help but think enough was enough. If all this moving was going to go on forever, she couldn't afford to wait anymore.

The time to act was now.

"You'll like the school, Lynn," Daryl told her. "They have creative writing classes."

"They do?! Awesome!" Lynn squealed with delight, throwing her hands in the air. "I've always wanted to take creative writing!"

Harper raised her hand, catching everyone's attention. All eyes were on her now, and it made her skin crawl, even if they were her family. "Can I...say something, too?"

"What is it Harper? You haven't said a word for the past couple of minutes," Marlena asked, concerned.

At first, there was a brief pause. Harper shuddered. Where would she even start? She hadn't prepared for this at all. Then again, she only heard of Daryl's announcement just now, so she had no idea she'd have to say all of this so soon. Well, it was best to get it out in the open right now. ' _Here goes everything,'_ She thought, before she finally said, "Mom. Dad. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past few months, and...I've decided that I...I want to move out!"

Everyone's mouths fell agape, and their eyes shrunk in shock. Harper expected as much. It took a short while, but Marlena finally found her voice.

"What?! You want to move out on your own?" Marlena's voice was oddly high, and she normally wasn't one to raise her voice. But it wasn't so loud as to make Harper's ears hurt, so that was good. "Well, no wonder you've been so quiet. You must have been giving that some serious thought."

"I have," Harper replied. This time, she knew what to say. "For the past six months, actually," She knew it was redundant to add that, since she mentioned that earlier, but it came out before she could stop herself.

On the other hand, Daryl held a hand to his chin, flashing a pleased grin. "Moving out, hm? Well, you are a grown adult now, so it is your decision to make," He complimented, his voice not as tight or stern this time around. "And coordinating that with our move at the same time is wise."

Harper balled her hands into fists, tightening them right up. She knew what he was going to say next.

"However," His smile faded, and he crossed his arms again, raising a quizzical eyebrow. "Am I right in assuming you've thought everything through?"

"Yes, Dad. I've done a ton of research over the past few months and I have an idea of how I want to go about it."

"What will you be doing to support yourself?"

She could feel her legs shaking. But there was no going back now. "What I've always wanted to do since I was a kid," She stood up from the couch, looking her father straight in the eyes, even though doing so made her feel exposed. So exposed that she felt like she was naked. "I'm going to become a farmer."

Again, silence. This time, it was shorter than the last one. Not only that, Lynn was the first to speak. "What, really?! Why? That's seriously hard work."

Marlena could only smile. "You always did have a fondness for animals and plants since you were little, so I'm honestly not surprised you'd want to become a farmer."

Harper barely paid attention to her mother and sister at the moment. Her focus was solely on her father. "I know what you're going to say, Dad. That I'm not ready to be a farmer, that it's hard work, that it's not something I can just impulsively jump right into on a whim and hope to succeed. Like I said, I did my research," She made sure to keep herself calm and collected, voice low and clear. On the inside, her organs were doing backflips, and she wanted to just run. Her entire being was screaming at her to give up and run. But she wasn't going to give in. Not when she worked so hard to strengthen her resolve just for this moment. "Animal care, raising crops, preparing for harvests."

"Hold on now, Harper," Daryl held both hands out, beckoning her to slow down. He had to admit, the intensity in his older daughter's eyes caught him way off guard. Daryl could hear the conviction in her voice, and Harper could see he was tapping his foot, probably in an attempt to take back control. "I'm glad you're so resolute about this. Really, I am, but-"

"I know you're going to disapprove, and I don't blame you for doing so," Harper continued on, not even giving him a chance to talk. "But I'm going to fulfill my dream of being a farmer, and I don't want to wait and move around so much anymore. Whether you like it or not, I've made my decision and I'm sticking with it."

There. She said it all. Immediately, Harper could feel a weight being lifted off of her shoulders. But it didn't alleviate the crawly, exposed feeling she felt from everyone's eyes staring right into her. Marlena and Daryl could only exchanged confused looks, silently asking each other if they were going to say something. Lynn simply started putting her worksheets into a neat pile, unsure of what else to do in this awkward silence. Suddenly, the oven in the kitchen made a soft ding.

* * *

Dinner went by quickly, and all throughout, the subject of Harper's unexpected announcement never came up. Daryl simply kept telling his family about Beldingsville and all that it had to offer. Harper didn't say much on the matter, even as dinner consisted of her favorite foods: potato au gratin, roasted chicken, and vegetables with white rice. Everything was tense. Harper was tense. Everything inside her now felt tight, like she was being bound with ropes. Once she finished, she went back to her room and got straight on the internet. She pulled up Instachat and found two users online, both of whom she knew very well.

 **HarperTheFarmGirl** : Hey Tiffany. Orson. Got some news.

In an instant, the two usernames shot back replies.

 **Ladybird888** : News? What is it, girl? Give us the 411!

 **Cyberbeast0303** : What's up?

Harper explained everything from the beginning, typing out a pretty long paragraph. On the other hand, her friends' replies were, once again, instant.

 **Ladybird888** : Get out! You finally told them?

 **Cyberbeast0303** : About time you said something! What'd your dad say?

 **HarperTheFarmGirl** : ...Nothing, really. I have to admit, I'm kinda surprised. I thought he'd completely explode and yell about it and be super pissed.

A memory flashed through her mind. A young Harper had overheard her parents talking in the kitchen. She hid behind one of the couches but could still hear what they were talking about. Marlena told him about their visit to the petting farm and about how Harper wanted to be a farmer right afterward. She remembered seeing Daryl cross his arms and say a loud, firm, stone hard no. "Out of the question. Harper can't be a farmer! I will NOT allow it!" He had yelled. Harper heard it loud and clear, and she ran to her room crying right afterward, even after she heard Marlena trying to dissuade him from thinking that way.

She hadn't forgotten it, not even for a second. It had burned into her mind like a brand on skin.

 **Cyberbeast0303** : You think? Daryl's a pretty nice guy from what I've seen. Why would he be pissed about you being a farmer? His brother's a farmer, right?

 **HarperTheFarmGirl** : He said once when I was six that he doesn't want me to be a farmer, but I never knew why. I never asked, and just didn't bother him about it.

 **Ladybird888** : Honestly, I'm more surprised that you're gonna move out! Congrats, girl! I wish I could move out!

 **Cyberbeast0303** : Yeah, congrats.

Harper's lips curled upward. At least they approved of her choice. She wasn't sure who or where she'd be if she didn't have them.

 **HarperTheFarmGirl** : Thanks guys. You're the best friends I could ever have. I miss you both so much.

 **Cyberbeast0303** : We do, too. Tiffany and I are always thinking of you.

 **Ladybird888** : Hey! Quit getting sappy on me, Orson! That's my job!

Harper couldn't hold back a chuckle. "These two…" Still, she liked reading their friendly banter. No matter what, she knew they'd always be there for her, even if they were far away.

 **Cyberbeast0303** : But I do agree with your dad on one thing. Being a farmer isn't an easy job. Storms can completely ruin crops if you're not careful, and you have to make sure no bugs or mice or rats eat them, too. My uncle's father ran a farm back in his day, and they had a really bad storm that totally destroyed everything.

 **HarperTheFarmGirl** : You're right, Orson. But I've done my research, and Uncle Frank's taught me a lot about that. Hopefully those don't happen, but I'll make sure I'm prepared if they do.

As much as she hated to admit it, Harper did know her father's concerns were valid. Farming definitely wasn't something one took up on a whim. If one can't succeed as a farmer, they'd have no money, no livelihood, and no real means of support. Anything could happen, from a mouse infestation to a hurricane ripping through farmlands. Those things did happen. But Harper didn't want to give up solely based on the fear of those things happening. She couldn't just avoid something unless she tried it. That was what her family always taught her.

Before she could think too long, some subtle raps at the door caught her ears.

"Harper? Can I come in?"

It was Daryl.

"Just a minute!" Harper exclaimed before typing a goodbye to her friends.

 **HarperTheFarmGirl** : Sorry. G2g.

 **Cyberbeast0303** : Ok! TTYL!

 **Ladybird888** : See u l8tr! Byeeeeeee

With that, Harper closed Instachat. "Alright, you can come in, Dad," She told him. Now that he had permission, Daryl opened the door and ambled inside. Admittedly, a pang of irritation shot through her. She wanted to use this time to both talk to her friends online and maybe gallop a little in her room. Galloping like a pretend horse helped her to get all the knots and complicated thoughts and feelings out of her system. But she really didn't want to do it in front of her father, even if he did know the reasons why she liked to gallop. Daryl simply scanned her room, eyes darting all around, with a pensive look on his face.

Harper didn't leave her seat at the computer. She simply stared down at the keyboard, trying to focus her mind on something other than her father being here right now. "If you're here to dissuade me, don't count on it. Like I said before, I made my decision and I'm sticking with it," She told him tersely, before he could even speak. She could picture vividly in her mind what he was going to say, that she was in no way prepared for what farming entailed, that she should-

"I wasn't going to."

What? Harper turned around, finally locking her confused gaze on her father. To be more specific, his maroon sweater, thinking he must have changed clothes after dinner. He always changed his clothes after dinner.

She didn't see the patient, understanding smile on his face. "I actually wanted to talk to you a bit more. Want to come over here?"

It was surreal. There was absolutely no trace of anger or disapproval in his deep voice at all. She didn't even feel any anger coming from his whole being, and she was sure she would. If anyone was mad, she could just feel it. Harper was sure this had to be some kind of trick. Regardless, she walked over to her bed and sat down next to him. Daryl tugged at the collar on his sweater with his index finger, like he was trying to cool himself down from heat, even though it was February. Harper was just glad he sat about a foot away from her, keeping out of her personal space.

"I figured we could discuss this just between us, and didn't bring it up further at dinner," Daryl explained cooly, his voice calm and collected. Harper's posture stiffened once more. "Anyway...if you truly want to become a farmer, then you have my blessing."

If Harper had heard that her father was telling her he was actually an alien from another planet, she wouldn't have been nearly as surprised as she was now. Daryl actually accepted her decision and was telling her to go through with it? Harper's eyes were wide as saucers as she whipped her head around to look up at him. "Wait, seriously?!"

"I'm quite serious, dear."

"But...but I thought...I thought you'd be pissed."

Her father's cheeks burned. "Who, me? I'm not mad at all. Why would you think I'd be angry with you being a farmer?"

Harper couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was he serious? Had he really forgotten? "When I was six, I overheard you telling Mom that you didn't want me to be a farmer ever. You were practically screaming at the top of your lungs."

"Oh. That…" Daryl's face turned pink as he rubbed the back of his hair with one hand, trailing off for a second. "I admit, I had a hard day at work that day and was in a really bad mood. Practically everything set me off. But I assure you, I honestly didn't mean it back then."

' _Then why'd you even say it to begin with?!'_ Harper thought in disbelief, narrowing her eyes into slits, staring right into her flustered father. Daryl could tell she didn't believe a word he said, and he didn't blame her. "You sure sounded like you meant it to six-year-old me," Harper scoffed, crossing her arms. "That was the whole reason I never told you anything about my dream to be a farmer! I was sure you'd react the same way you did back then!"

Oddly enough, Daryl didn't deny it. Instead, he simply looked down at his hands. "I see. I'm sorry. I must have traumatized you pretty badly, given what you went through before we adopted you," Daryl murmured, hanging his head down ruefully. Just as quickly, he held it right back up. "Even so, Harper...if you want to become a farmer, I have no objections. You deserve to make your own decisions and fulfill your own dreams," This time, he wrapped his arm around Harper and pulled her close.

Usually, when someone would try to hug her, Harper would tense up, wince, or free herself from the gesture, especially if she didn't want it or was from someone she didn't know. This time, she allowed it. This was her father, and she knew he loved her. His hands were strong and protective, and the scratchy texture of his maroon sweater was warm against her skin. She let herself rest her head on her father's shoulder, allowing his love to envelop her completely. Yes, this was what she wanted all along. Her father's approval. At this point, Harper was happy to just be here with him right now.

"Can I tell you something, Harper?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Back in my day, long before I met your mother and had you and Lynn...I took a brief stint in farming."

Farming? Her own father, a farmer? Daryl, the ever stoic, serious, and hardworking, high ranking employee in a well known trading company, a farmer? Harper couldn't prevent the ungraceful dropping of her jaw. "You? A farmer? I...find that REALLY hard to believe."

"I know. I don't blame you for being surprised," Daryl said, clearing his throat to continue on. He had expected this reaction. "My father-your grandfather-had gotten into the trading business when I started working as a farmer, right after I graduated from college. Your Uncle Frank and I had been working together on it for a while…" His voice lowered to a more somber tone. "Suddenly, my father suddenly collapsed. He had a bad stroke. It happened right after he had finally gotten his own trading business up and running."

Daryl went on to explain that it had never occurred to him to give up farming. He had wanted to do it for a while, and he loved the work he and his brother Frank put into their farm. But when Daryl had spoken to his father, he noticed that he always looked so sad when he discussed the possibility of having to give up his business, especially because of his condition. Eventually, Daryl began to think his father would feel somewhat better if he offered to take over the business for him. Slowly, but surely, his father began to recover thanks to lots of rehab, and once he was well enough, father and son began working together. Several years after that, he married Marlena, adopted Harper, and later had Lynn.

"Oh wow…" Harper found herself deep in thought after having listened to her father's tale. "I had no idea...I guess I'm learning a lot about you today."

"I must admit, you really surprised me earlier this evening," Daryl found himself hesitating just a moment, but continued speaking. "Because I'd done it myself, I knew all too well just how exhausting and backbreaking a job it could be, and I know you don't like to expend too much energy into things, especially subjects that are of no interest to you. In some way, a part of me does oppose the idea, because I've seen you break down under pressure lots of times, and it hurts my heart whenever I see you cry or have a meltdown because you can't handle something. I don't want to subject you to that kind of pain," Daryl's hand gently squeezed Harper's shoulder just a little tighter. "Not when you went through so much of it already."

Good points. Harper nodded in agreement. Everything he said was indeed true.

"Personally, I think farming is a noble profession, and I have nothing but the highest respect for it."

Any disbelief Harper held against her father began to melt away layer by layer. Regret began to spring forth in her heart. All this time, she was convinced her father would vehemently oppose of farming, all because of something he said in a bad mood when she was six years old. But here he was, telling Harper that he himself used to be a farmer and not only warning her of its downsides, but supporting her decision in spite of that. That was what a good father did. How could she have doubted him? A small hand glided over her father's her spindly fingers wrapping around his bigger, bulkier ones.

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"Don't be. I had no idea something I said during a bad mood would impact you so much. Anyway…" His smile returned, and Harper could tell even without looking that it was one of contentment and approval. "Harper. If you want to be a farmer, go for it. Your mother, and sister and I will support you all the way."

Harper beamed, no longer being able to contain her joy. "Oh, Dad!" She threw her arms right around his neck, resting her chin on his big shoulder. Daryl simply smiled bigger as he wrapped his own arms protectively around her. At this moment, he was a proud, proud father, and Harper, in turn, was on cloud nine.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

"But let's not rush into this just yet, Harper," Daryl advised. "There's still a lot you need to learn before you can officially move out. If you don't mind, I'd like to help you make arrangement, if that's alright. There's still time before we move, so let's plan this out accordingly."

"You bet we will!"

Just like that, everything was back in perfect alignment. Earlier, Harper felt like the world was going to fall apart all around her. Now, she felt like she was in heaven.

* * *

Over the course of the next three weeks, the Maxwell family helped Harper prepare for her eventual move near the end of February. Daryl decided that since Harper still didn't know much about owning an actual house and all of the complications it entailed, such as mortgage and insurance, he made arrangements for her to live with her Uncle Frank for the time being. That way, she could not only help him out on his farm, Frank would be able to help her with whatever she needed in return, since he was an actual farmer and spent years working among nature. He had an extra room in his house to spare for her, so space was no problem. It helped that Frank lived in a little village called Westown, which was only about twenty miles away from Avonlea, the town they were in right now, so it wasn't too far away. Beldingsville was about three and a half hours away from both, so while the family could stop by and visit once in a while, it would still be far enough that they wouldn't be able to come often.

For now, they settled on one plan. Harper would work on Frank's farm and receive payment every week, like a real job. Since both Daryl and Marlena worked well-paying jobs, they agreed to send Harper some extra money every month, and encouraged her to save it so she could eventually buy her own house and have enough to pay some bills. Not one that would be extremely expensive, because that would be a bit too much. Harper didn't want to bite off more than she could chew, so she hoped there would be some small houses in Westown that she could look at once she saved up enough. She would also be expected to learn the concepts of paying bills, and Frank was more than willing to help with that.

About a week before the family's scheduled move, the day of Harper's official move finally arrived. Daryl had his black Mercedez Benz out in the driveway, and Harper pushed the last of her suitcases into the back seat. Marlena and Lynn had followed them outside, both with wistful looks on their faces.

"I'm gonna miss you, Harper," Lynn's small voice trembled as she gave her older sister a hug. "I wish you could come to Beldingsville with us."

Touched by her sister's gesture, Harper smiled and stroke her younger sister's hair gently. "I know, Lynn. I'll miss you too. But I'll be alright. Uncle Frank will be there, and Reese is coming with me, too," She turned to the backseat. "Right, Reese?"

Situated on the left back seat was a relatively small, pink and black animal carrier, and inside it was a small, deep brown cat, with lighter brown, almost yellow markings all over it. One striking feature was a strip of light brown fur that went down from her eyebrows, ending at her nose, making her face look like a Yin-Yang symbol. Reese the cat simply looked up at the silver bars in front of her, wondering what was going on.

Marlena put a hand on Harper's shoulder. "Call us or text us as soon as you get there. If you need anything at all-anything-don't hesitate to let us know," Marlena reminded her. Harper could hear a touch of sadness in her mother's voice.

"I will. I'll miss you, Mom."

"I know. But we know you'll be okay. No matter what, we're always here for you, and you'll always have a home with us no matter how far away we are," At this point, it was Marlena's turn to pull her daughter into a hug. Harper rested her chin on her mother's shoulder and stroke her back with both hands. Her mother's warm, loving arms were better than any winter coat she ever wore in her life. She couldn't hold back any sniffs any longer.

"Oh! By the way!" Lynn suddenly exclaimed. "If I ever see Leah, I'll kick her butt for you!" She announced, eyes shining. Harper burst into a laugh, and some tears escaped from her eyes.

"I'm sure she'd really appreciate that!" Harper laughed, having let go of Marlena and was holding her stomach. The thought of her little sister giving Leah some extra comeuppance was indeed an appealing image. Even so, she reminded herself that she didn't need Leah. Harper could do just fine without her. She was perfectly fine without her before. Maybe Leah had been the one dragging _her_ down, rather than the other way around.

Daryl closed the trunk with a great heave. "Alright, I think that's everything. Ready to go, Harper?"

"You bet! Bye, everyone!" Harper showered her mother and sister with hugs and kisses-and they in turn did the same. They hugged her so tight they didn't want to let her go. But they knew they had to.

Not wanting to waste any time, Harper got in the car and watched as Daryl pulled the car out of the driveway. She waved at her mother and sister, who in turn waved right back at her, growing smaller and smaller until her father made a turn, and they were suddenly out of sight. With a wistful sigh, Harper leaned against the glass window, watching the scenery roll right by her without a care in the world. But already, her heart ached not only with longing for her family, but at the notion of an uncertain future unfolding before her. More tears trickled down her cheeks.

"I know you miss them already. But everything will be alright," Daryl reassured, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'll definitely miss you, too."

"Yeah, and it's not even like I'm going away forever. It's not like I'll never see you guys again...but...still…"

"Goodbyes are always hard, even short ones, even if you know it's not permanent."

Harper couldn't have said it better herself. She could feel her hand flapping against the backpack she squeezed tight against her chest, the tapping noises making a soothing rhythm for her ears. In her heart, she hoped she hadn't made a terrible mistake.

* * *

 **A/N** : Okay, so Fire And Dew is a go! It was fighting to come out of my head, so why not let it see the light of day? In case you're wondering where the title comes from, it actually is going to refer to the main pairing in the fic...though it mostly comes from one of those new Anne of Green Gables movies that have been airing on PBS, the first two of which came out in the past couple of years. Don't bother watching them. They're really bad.

In case you guys are also wondering, the storyline will be drastically different from the game, if my depiction of Daryl is anything to go by. No Mr. D, no competitions, no working hard to win Daryl's approval, etc. Also, none of the Lulukoko citizens will be in the story. Two reasons. One: I don't really care too much about them, so I don't think I'd be able to do writing them justice, and two: I want to keep this fic short, so I thought I'd keep the cast as small as possible, limited to only Westown, Tsuyukusa, and a couple of OCs sprinkled about. I figured cutting out the Lulukoko cast would prevent me from biting off more than I can chew. Plus, there will be an in-story reason for why Harper will never go to Lulukoko. Ever. It's actually subtly referenced a bit in this very chapter, in fact! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it!


	2. All Quiet On The Westown Front

Chapter 2: All Quiet On The Westown Front

Twenty miles seemed like a long distance from Avonlea. But to Harper, who had visited Westown with her family many times throughout the years, it could actually go by pretty quick. It only took about half an hour for her and Daryl to get there by car, which, to Harper, seemed like no time at all. When they passed a sign that said, ' _Welcome to Westown!'_ she couldn't hold back a smile. Here she was.

Westown...what an apt name for a little town that looked like it came right out of an old Western movie. Well, the part of it that Harper was in right now, that is. The grass had a more yellowish green, rustic hue to it than the pure, green grass that she was used to seeing. Westown's grass looked more like it was slowly turning into hay. Of course, she could still see some greenery around, like some small pine trees and prickly bushes, what with it still being February and all. The dirt roads were a very vivid, vermillion orange, like autumn leaves. On her left was a white two-storey house with burgundy shingles, and behind it was a pretty little lake, which narrowed into a river that flowed through the town, the rush of the water soothing to her ears. Harper caught a whiff of smoke, which she could tell was coming from the chimneys.

"Alright!" Daryl announced, bringing his car to a stop. "We're here!"

Harper was quick to hop right out of the car the second it stopped.

Compared to the other house a little further down the road, her Uncle Frank's house was smaller and had much more of a farm-like, country look to it. It was a relatively average-sized house, painted olive green, and Harper could make out the shapes and markings of the wood panels that kept the house together. The only thing that really stuck out was the obnoxiously orange front door. Still, Harper smiled as she stepped onto the porch. It was her Uncle Frank's house, after all. She and her family often visited him from time to time, and all of the memories she made in that house were happy ones, memories she'd always remember fondly. Even outside, it still had the scent of fresh vegetable pizza. It was warm, familiar, and safe.

Her new home for the time being.

One detail did stick out to her, and not in a good way: those wooden wheels sitting behind the mailbox. She narrowed her eyes into a glare. Those wooden wheels...even after six years, her Uncle Frank still hadn't bothered to get rid of those useless things. She couldn't help but wonder why he still had those wheels in the first place. Were they decorations, or just stuff he randomly put there for no reason? Making a mental note to ask him later, Harper knocked on the door.

"Hey, Uncle Frank!" Harper yelled. "It's me, Harper!"

No answer.

She looked to her left, noticing the little green barn just about ten feet away, secured by a white picket fence. Three large cows hung their heads low to the ground, contentedly munching on some grass. Harper zipped from the porch, running over to the barn. Inside was a large man standing in front of a sheep, using a brush to comb through its thick wool. His blue eyes were fixated on the sheep as he brushed, and his straw hat bobbed from side to side as he joyfully hummed a little tune to himself.

"Uncle Frank!"

"Wha?!" The man in question, Frank, was so startled that he jumped for a second, nearly dropping his brush. Thankfully, he managed to catch it right before it could slip through his arms. He looked over to the entrance and saw Harper flying right towards him. Suddenly, Harper leaped on him, throwing her skinny arms right around his neck. Surprise morphed into joy as he smiled and took the girl into his arms. "Well now! Is that you, Harper? Howdy, girl! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Me too!" Harper rejoiced, reveling in the scratchy feel of Frank's straw-like beard.

"Goodness, you've grown some tall last time I saw ya!" Frank crowed, his scratchy voice booming with cheer. It was here that Frank gestured for her to get down. Getting the message, Harper let go of him, releasing him from her hug. "It's good to have ya here!"

Harper nodded in agreement.

"Harper!" Daryl huffed as he walked into the barn with a suitcase in hand. "Oh, there you are," It didn't take long for him to catch up, the suitcase still weighing heavy in his left hand. Still, he flashed a grin in his brother's direction. "Hello, Franklin."

"Daryl!" Frank bellowed, wrapping a large arm around his brother, pulling him into his own hug. "How's my big bro?"

"Very well, thanks."

Frank looked down at his niece, putting a friendly hand on her shoulder. "So you're livin' with me for a while and gonna learn how to work on a farm, huh?" The Maxwell family had already told Frank everything about Harper's move and what they had planned, which he approved of without hesitation at all. Harper could see that Frank liked the idea of having her around all the time, what with the way his red apron bounced in tune with his large belly as he laughed that scratchy laugh of his. "If she's under my roof, you don't need to worry about a thing, Daryl. She'll be just fine!"

"I know she will," Daryl agreed. "But there's still some things I'd like to go over before I leave, if that's alright with you."

"Sure, sure. Anything!"

As the two brothers chatted amongst themselves, Harper happened to notice a dog sniffing around the entrance leading outside. A young, brown and white beagle with floppy ears, its tail standing straight up, the tip white as snow. Spread across its back was a big patch of black fur that looked like ink had been spilled on it. The dog held its head up, its round eyes taking in Harper's presence. Harper smiled, kneeling down and holding her hand out.

"Here, Lucky! It's me, Harper!"

Lucky barked before leaping over to Harper, flinging his wet tongue all over her hand.

Wait a minute...she brought her cat with her. Cats and dogs normally don't get along.

Her face turned white as she stood back up quicker than a jack-in-a-box. "Oh, shit!"

"Huh?" Both Frank and Daryl turned around in shock.

Harper's hands flew to both sides of her head, and she couldn't help but scream right out loud, "I completely forgot about Lucky, and I brought Reese with me!"

It had completely slipped her mind. Her cat Reese had never met Lucky. How was she going to react to seeing this dog? Would she go after him? Or would Lucky go after her? Would they try to kill each other, or would they actually be friends? As far as she knew, Lucky did get along well with other animals, but Reese was an indoor cat and rarely ever went outside. Harper scolded herself for not having thought about this before she arrived. "Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy craaaaaaaap!" All of a sudden, her thoughts were awhirl, conflicting with one another, overwhelming her with all the possible outcomes of Lucky and Reese's potential meeting.

"Now now, Harper," Daryl reassured. "There's no need to panic. Why don't we bring everything in first?"

* * *

It didn't take long for them to bring Harper's things into Frank's house. All she really brought with her were some clothes, hygiene products, books, and other necessities. For now, they decided to keep Lucky in his cage and let Reese explore the house on her own. They did watch as they let the cat out, allowing her to explore her new living quarters and sniff out Lucky. Oddly enough, much to their surprise, when Reese approached Lucky's cage and sniffed it, the beagle showed no reaction whatsoever. Lucky simply sniffed right back before Reese turned around and went under the dining room table. Relief settled over her face as she watched her cat lick her paws. Thank God nothing bad happened!

For the time being, Harper was to move into one of the rooms upstairs. It wasn't as big as her room back in Avonlea, but it would suffice. Frank had cleaned it out several days ago, and it was a pretty simple room, with wooden floors, a mattress complete with linens and a comforter, pillows, and a desk. He mostly used it as a guest room for when the family would come and visit, and as far as Harper remembered, there used to be another bed in here. She figured Frank moved the bed frame and the mattress somewhere else. The back of the barn, maybe? Nevertheless, Harper was satisfied with her new room. Sure, it wasn't her bedroom in Avonlea, but she could make do. It helped that she didn't bring everything with her all at once. Anything she absolutely didn't need at the moment was still with her family, and they promised to hold onto the rest of her things for her when they moved to Beldingsville.

At about 4:30 PM, Daryl decided it was time to leave. He stood out in front of Frank's farm, looking over what he saw of Westown. Harper ran over and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his suit.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dad," Harper whimpered, her choked voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt and tie.

Daryl squeezed his daughter tight, not wanting to let her go. But a part of him reminded him that this was her chance to fulfill her dream, so he had to let her go. "I'll miss you, too. Do everything Frank says, remember to eat healthy food, don't talk to strangers, don't get into cars with anyone-"

"I know, Dad. I know. I love you."

"Love you too, Harper. We'll call you when we've settled into Beldingsville, and let us know if you need anything. Anything at all. You can call us any time, even if you just want to talk."

Eventually, the two broke from their embrace. Daryl got into his car and drove away. Harper kept waving at him, even as the car drove down the dirt road, eventually disappearing. It was here that it finally hit her. She was finally take the first steps toward fulfilling her dream...but it would be away from all that was familiar to her. Of course, Frank was here, and she brought Reese with her, so she wouldn't be completely out on her own. She kept staring at the dirt road, even as Frank walked next to her, fiddling with his red apron.

"You hungry, Harper?" Frank asked, rolling the end of his apron into a cylinder shape. "I'm gonna start dinner soon, and it won't take too long."

Before she could answer, a rumble echoed from her stomach. Harper's cheeks burned. "Does that answer your question?"

Frank suppressed the urge to laugh, holding a fist to his mouth, allowing his apron to roll back out. "Marlena said you like potato au gratin, so I'll make that and cook up some veggies. How's that?"

"That'd be perfect."

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. Harper had to admit, she hadn't eaten much since she left Avonlea, so being able to eat some cooked vegetables was much more fulfilling than usual. It helped that he made carrots, her favorite vegetable ever. Unable to resist the allure of her favorite foods, Harper savored every bite of her uncle's home cooked meal, relishing the softness of the scalloped potatoes, the warm, gooey yellow sauce that filled her mouth...just like old times. By this time, Reese had left her spot underneath the table and made herself at home on the couch, sitting high on the cushions and scanning her surroundings, a little cowed by this new environment. Frank had put Lucky outside for the time being, so Reese didn't have to worry about him. After dinner, she offered to help Frank with whatever farm work needed to be done, but he gently rejected her offer, saying that it was pretty much done. But he did let her water his crops, namely the tomatoes and radishes, teaching her how to use the hose and how much water they needed. He had already watered most of his own crops and didn't want to overwhelm her with too much to do, so watering some tomatoes and radishes would be a good start.

Hose in hand, Harper doused the rows of tomato trellises in water, watching as the clusters of green leaves were showered in dew, sparkling in the orange sunset. She kept her eyes focused on the task at hand, making sure she didn't douse them in too much water. Good thing the hose nozzle wasn't too heavy or too strong, and was adjustable, so she could change the water output at will. She had to admit, this was a smart move on Frank's part, making a mental note to consider buying her own adjustable hose nozzle for when she ever got her own farm. By the time Frank came to check on her, Harper had already started watering the row of radishes behind the tomato trellises.

"Heeeey! Lookit you workin' hard!" Frank complimented, his scratchy voice booming with cheer. "Those tomatoes look perfectly hydrated! You've done this before, right?" He asked, scratching his beard.

"Yeah," Harper replied as she continued watering the radish leaves. "I've grown vegetables before over the years. I've gotten pretty good at it," She couldn't help but flash a proud smile as she slid over to another set of radishes, giving them their much needed hydration. "You should have seen some of the crops my colleges had us grow. Maize corn, cauliflower, melons...man, it took me months just to manage to grow some good eggplants that didn't wind up withering or looking like they were slashed with tiny knives!"

Frank laughed a big, hearty laugh. "I know that feeling. Good thing radishes are pretty easy to grow this time of year, and I intend to make a good killing off them," He kneeled down to examine Harper's handiwork. The soil was dark and moist, and the green leaves had already perked up. "How about we start plantin' your own radish crop tomorrow? It'd be a good start, since you've planted those before, right?"

"Sure. That's fine."

Eventually, all of Harper's assigned crops were fully watered. After that, Harper did what she always did after dinner. She took a shower, changed into her pajamas, spared a few minutes to read one of her books, blow dried her hair after that, and was ready for bed by 9:30. But Frank did tell her that she needed to be up at six in the morning so she could help him with the farm. Good thing Harper's phone had an alarm setting, and she had set it to five thirty AM already, so there was no need to adjust it, only turning it and the volume on so she would hear it. Oddly enough, sleep came surprisingly quickly. Her brain wanted to go over everything that had happened. Telling her parents about wanting to move out, wanting to become a farmer, preparing for the move, moving out...everything happened so fast. It was like her new life was moving at warp speed, and she wanted to just lie there and think about it all so she could process it. Too bad her body protested, and before she could think too much, her eyes closed and she drifted deep into sleep.

* * *

The sky was completely dark, almost pitch black when she woke up. She didn't need to start working until six, but as far as Harper was concerned, she needed time to wake up, eat breakfast, and get herself energized before doing anything. A half hour of time for herself before work would suffice. She treated herself to a banana and some vanilla flavored yogurt, her favorite, before getting dressed and washing the sleep out of her eyes with cold water. Since it was cold early in the morning, especially with it still being winter, Harper decided to just throw on a long sleeved gray shirt, her favorite purple overalls, her fluffy gray jacket, and her brown work boots. Perfect for getting down and dirty on the farm. When she got downstairs, Frank was already in the kitchen, taking a sip of some hot coffee.

"Top of the mornin' to ya, Harper!" Frank greeted her warmly, just as he set his cup down on the table. "You ready for your first day on the job?"

Harper smiled in anticipation, slipping some gloves on. "Sure am."

Although it was dark outside, Frank made sure to keep some outside lights on, that way they could see where they were working. The first thing to do was to water the crops first. They carried the hoses from out back and pulled them over to the fields. Frank watered one part of his field, and Harper's job was to water the other part. Harper kept her eyes on her work, watching as the spray of water rained down on Frank's radish and tomato crops, giving them a much needed shower. She could already see the leaves start to perk up a bit. When the sun came up, the dew resting on the leaves would shimmer, like little jewels. One of nature's little beauties.

"Hey Harper!" Frank called out, his hose still spraying water. "Make sure they're nice and wet, but don't drown them!"

"Yes, sir!"

She wasn't sure how much time she spent watering her half of Frank's field. Her arm started to throb from holding the hose up for so long, but this was nothing. No way was she going to let that stop her. She kept her eyes on her work, hydrating the crops and taking her time, making sure they were nice and wet. Nice and wet. By the time she reached her final row, the sky was already turning dark blue, with splashes of pink and red going right across it, making it shine brightly, like a flame in a hearth.

Harper adjusted her glasses before getting a better look. "Uncle Frank! Look at the sky! Isn't it pretty?"

Frank looked up, using his arm to wipe some sweat off his brow. "My oh my. It sure is, Harper," The sky looked like it came straight out of an old painting, brimming with vivid colors that seemed to spring to life. Then he crossed his arms and scanned his fields. "Alright. Looks like all the crops are watered," He flashed a grin in Harper's direction. "Pretty good for your first time!"

Harper's cheeks turned red. She averted his gaze and locked it onto the sky, running a hand through her dark brown locks sheepishly. "Oh...it's nothing," She stammered, thinking the praise was a bit much, even if she did have experience in watering crops. "But...thanks."

"I have some radish seeds on me," Frank told her, pulling some small packets of red radish seeds out from the big pocket on his apron. "How about we start you on your own crop right now?"

Nodding smartly, Harper approached Frank and took the radish packets into her hands. This would be her first real crop. On a real farm! Granted, she had grown her own crops before, back at home, but they were mostly grown in her backyard, not on a farm. "Sure. Why not?"

Despite the cold winter air stinging at her cheeks and nose, Harper couldn't wait to start. But she watched as Frank showed her how to use a hoe and till the ground. Not too deep, but deep enough for her to lay the seeds down. Harper took a hoe in her hand and tried it herself, tilling the ground, pulling dirt out to make what would be a bed for her radishes. She then got down on her knees and examined the row of dirt she cleared out, sticking her index finger into it. From what she could tell, the tilled soil was about an inch deep. Harper smiled, nodding proudly to herself. Perfect! This could work. She laid the seeds down, taking care to make sure they were all an inch or two apart from each other before watering them with the hose. It was here that she saw that the sky had changed again, turning a much brighter shade of blue.

She pulled her phone out from her pocket to check the time. It was 7:46 AM. "Whoa! I've been working for over an hour and a half?!" Harper exclaimed.

A hoarse laugh from behind her was the only response she received. "Time flies by mighty quick when you're working," Frank told her, kneeling down to roll the hose back up. "We'll put these away and then start milkin' the cows. Got it?"

Harper didn't reply. She just pulled the hose up and started rolling it back to where she got it. It didn't take long for them to put the hoses away, since that was relatively easy. All she had to do was roll them over a rack. Once that was done, Frank and Harper made their way to the barn. Before Frank could explain anything, Harper found a stool and a milk bucket, setting them up next to one of Frank's three cows.

"Now wait right there, Harper," Frank admonished, running right up to her before she could sit down. "We have to feed them first, then we milk them. Feeding them kicks their milk production into gear," He explained.

"Oh!" Harper's hand slammed into her face. "I completely forgot!" She had wanted to start milking them right now, and the excitement made that part slip her mind. "Sorry, Uncle Frank," She apologized ruefully.

"It's alright. No harm done," Frank reassured, rubbing her shoulder with one hand. Harper did find herself turning rigid when his hand made contact, even if the touch was muffled by her jacket.

The cow didn't seem to mind too much. The cow Harper sat next to simply tilted her head to one side, her long ears twitching slightly at the sound of this new voice. Even though there was no grass to be cut, since it was too cold for it to grow tall enough to cut, Frank kept a lot of fodder in the silo that was connected to the barn, so there was plenty of food for the cows. Frank and Harper pulled feed out from the shute, spreading it all over the trough. They had to make sure they put in lots of fodder, enough that it just about reached the very edges of the trough.

"Whew!" Harper could feel her back throb as she carried the feed. Once she put one heap of it into the trough, she stopped to bend over and rub her back with one hand. "I can do this," She told herself, repeating it over and over like a mantra. "I can do this. I can do this."

Frank saw Harper hunched over as he put his last pile of feed into the trough. "You okay? You can take a break if you want," He advised, looking a little worried.

"I'm fine," Harper replied. "I can't let stuff like this get me down."

"I like your attitude, but I wouldn't want you to push yourself too hard."

Thankfully, once the feeding was done, everything else was a piece of cake. It took only 20 minutes for Harper to milk each cow by hand, which meant that an hour had gone by. She had done it before, back in college, so this was a no brainer. At least with milking cows, she knew exactly when she was done via the cows not giving any more milk. After that, she brushed down the cows and the sheep, taking care to get some of the knots out of their hair and wool. As she brushed one of Frank's sheep, she could feel rushes of air on her back. She turned around to find a cow standing right behind her, watching her curiously with her big brown eyes. Then, the cow suddenly nuzzled Harper's back.

"Whoa! Easy there!" Harper exclaimed, shocked that a cow would just approach her like that.

Having watched the scene play out before him, Frank couldn't hold back a laugh. "Well well! Seems like Ness here likes you a lot! She usually never approaches people like that!"

Ness the cow continued to trail her muzzle across Harper's back. Unsure of what else to do, Harper simply took one hand and stroke Ness's head gently. "Awwww, you like me? You're so nice, Ness!" Harper crooned, liking the attention she got from this playful cow. If there was one thing she liked about cows, is that they were nice and simple. Cows, and animals in general, didn't lie, cheat, or use people for their own convenience.

Leah's angry voice echoed in her mind: ' _I'm done with you, Harper. I don't want a retard cramping my style. It was bad enough dragging you around every single time I went out. Do you have any idea how much you embarrass me?!'_

Harper swallowed a lump in her throat, returning to brushing Frank's sheep, keeping her eyes firmly locked onto her brush. It wasn't the first time someone had called her a retard, but hearing it from her girlfriend-someone who was supposed to be her girlfriend-hurt more than getting trampled by a buffalo stampede. She kept reminding herself that words like that didn't matter. Words like that couldn't define her, and they didn't matter to her. But it didn't do anything to ameliorate the pain lingering in her heart. ' _Screw you, stupid Leah! Screw you!'_ Harper clenched her teeth, trying hard not to let her anger get the better of her.

Finally, at 11:30 AM, the farm work was done. Her body felt like a limp, wet noodle as she plopped down onto a patch of grass near the fence. "Done and doooooone!" Her brown hair mingled with the blades of grass underneath her, and all she saw in front of her was endless blue sky. Already, she could feel energy surging back into her limbs just from lying down.

"Well," Frank pulled out a stool and sat down next to her, adjusting his straw hat just a bit. "I say for your first official day on the farm, you did some fine work!"

"Thanks…" Harper croaked, her throat somewhat dry from spending several hours without water. Every single part of Harper felt heavy and dry. Of course, this was the farmer's life. This was something she was going to have to get used to. Farms were a lot of work. Then again, knowing that didn't mean she had to like being tired.

"If you're feeling up to it, how about we take a walk into town later?" Frank suggested as he wiped some grit and dirt off his pants. "There's a lot to see."

Harper sat up. "Sure. I don't mind."

It was then that she saw something blue and brown ambling up the road. She couldn't quite make it out since she was sitting on the grass, but it definitely looked human. Curious, Harper stood back up, this time getting a much better look. It was a young man, about the same age as her, with shaggy, pale blonde hair underneath a brown cowboy hat, matching cowboy boots, and dressed all in blue. A big brown satchel dangled from his shoulder, weighing heavy on him. Who was that? Harper scooted closer to Frank.

"Hey! Looks like the mail's here early today!" Frank exclaimed, waving as the blonde haired man-the mailman, as it turned out-approached the fence. "Top of the mornin' to ya, Wayne!" The farmer greeted the younger man with a big, friendly smile.

Wayne tipped his hat, smiling back at him. "Mornin', Frank."

Harper watched silently from beside Frank. She had to admit, this mailman was actually kind of cute, though his deep, suave voice belied his youthful features, and his bright blue eyes were friendly and welcoming. He looked like the kind of guy who had girls swarming all over him, swooning to the point of fainting if he so much as glanced in their direction, all fiercely competing for his affection. She had met guys like him before in school. Wayne rummaged through his satchel before pulling out a packet of letters and handed them to Frank.

"Here's your mail for today."

"Thank ya kindly."

It was here that Wayne flicked his blue eyes over to Harper. Just like that, she felt herself turning rigid. He was looking right at her. "Well well, who's this lovely lady here? You finally started hiring part-timers or somethin'?"

Her cheeks burned, turning red as a tomato. ' _Did he seriously just call me lovely?!'_ Harper could feel her head start to spin. She did expect a few compliments, as new neighbors and townsfolk usually did fling some her way whenever they met her. But she didn't expect some guy to straight up say that like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Frank waved his hand at him dismissively. "No, she's not a part-timer. This is my niece, Harper Maxwell. She's livin' with me for right now. Harper, this is our mailman, Wayne Fitzgerald."

Knowing it'd be rude to not do so, Harper simply muttered a quick hi and waved her hand. Suddenly, Wayne looked a bit taken aback, as his eyebrows shot up. "Your niece? Hmmm…you two look nothin' alike, though."

No surprise there. She totally expected him to say that. "I'm actually his adopted niece, if that clarifies things," Harper explained matter-of-factly, having found her voice.

Truth be told, this wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence. Anyone who looked at Harper and her family always said that they looked nothing alike. Compared to her blonde haired, blue eyed, fair skinned parents, sister, and relatives, Harper stood out like a brown cow among nothing but white cows with black spots. Her umber skin, large glasses, dark green eyes, and chocolate hair were all Harper and Harper only. But the fact that her parents adopted her and raised her like she was their own for decades told her and everyone else all they needed to know, so she was family to them no matter what.

"Oh. I see," Wayne smiled again, flashing his pearly whites at her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to be rude. There aren't too many fellas our age 'round these parts, so welcome to Westown! I hope ya like it here!"

"Umm...thanks," Harper mused shyly.

"So where'd you move here from? Someplace far away?" Wayne asked.

"Avonlea. It's not too far from here," Harper replied.

Wayne rolled a sleeve back and glanced at his watch. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have some deliveries to make," He turned on his heel and waved back at them. "See ya 'round!" Just like that, he ambled down the orange dirt road toward the other house down the street. The morning sun glinted off of his golden hair, making it almost glow as he walked further down. He definitely had his looks going for him, Harper was sure of that.

A breeze blew through the area, rustling her hair, making some of it fly into her face. Frank had to slam his hand on his hat to keep it from blowing off. "Alright then. Work's done for right now, so how 'bout we have ourselves a break? Maybe I can show you more of Westown at about...two? How's that?"

"Fine by me."

Harper wasted no time going back inside, treating herself to some water before plopping down on her new bed. She didn't even notice Reese laying at the foot of the bed. Thankfully, the cat was mostly undisturbed, only holding her head up to see who decided to join her. Harper buried her face in her comforter, savoring the soft, luxurious touch of something that wasn't a farm tool. Her limbs were completely limp and relaxed, not keen on moving any time soon. As much as she wanted to see more of Westown, she knew there was no way she could handle walking over there right now. Recharging was very much needed right now.

"Hey, Reese," Harper muttered, flicking a glance over at the unassuming cat sitting next to her. "You've got it easy. All you cats do is eat, sleep, go to the bathroom, and go wherever you want."

"Mrowr," That was Reese's only response, a squeaky meow.

"Oh well. It's not like I didn't want to do this," Harper said, her voice muffled by her comforter. "A farmer's gotta do what a farmer's gotta do, so I say bring it on!" She held a fist in the air, only for it to limply fall back on the bed after a second.

Reese said nothing. The end of her tail silently tapped the blanket beneath her. Harper didn't mind. Some quiet time in her new room was very much needed as of right now.

* * *

By lunchtime, Harper's tired limbs finally recharged after having some of Frank's leftover pizza, garlic bread, and red velvet cake. Not an idea lunch, but definitely a winner for Harper. As promised, Frank and Harper crested up the dirt road that led further into town. When they got there, the first thing Harper noticed where the small cacti and the big white windmill on her left. The second thing she noticed was that houses were all on three different levels, along small cliff sides, with stairs leading up to every level. The soil and the cliff faces were just as vividly orange and red as where she lived right now. Four big stalls were situated on the very bottom level, forming a semi circle in the middle of town. Just above it was a very short set of train tracks, brown and rusty from years of exposure to the elements, with a small, black steam locomotive sitting right behind a red building on the second level. Was that locomotive fake or real? Harper couldn't tell. There wasn't any steam coming out of it, so she assumed it wasn't functioning.

One thing she did like was the big, bronze buffalo statue on her right. It stood tall and strong, taller than she by several feet, its horns raised up and ready to gore some prey. A tall, white, two-storey building stood on the right side on the second level, and Harper noticed some small fields with leaves popping out from it, probably some crops whoever lived there was growing. Finally, at the very top, on the highest level, were three other buildings. From left to right they were mossy green, bright pink like cotton candy, and straw yellow with a blue door and matching shutters. Frank told her about every establishment: the red building was the post office, where Wayne worked. The white building was the clinic. The green building was the restaurant, the Garden Grill, the pink building was the flower shop, and the yellow building, Straw Market, was the main shop in the area. The stalls on the lower level sold everything from food, to tools, to animals.

"I gotta say," Harper finally said after taking everything in. "This place really does look like it came right out of a Western movie."

Expression brightening, Frank stood up straight and nodded. "Sure does. Westown's built on the side of a mountain, which is why everything's built on all these cliffs here," Frank crowed. "Yep, she's a fine town, if I say so myself. I didn't spend thirty some years of my life here for nothing, y'know?" He spread his arm outward, sliding it across the air like he was showing Harper a beautiful museum exhibit. "Oh! That reminds me!" He suddenly exclaimed. "I gotta run to Straw Market to pick up some potato seeds. Want to come with? You don't have to come in with me."

It didn't take but seconds for her to answer. "Sure. I don't mind."

As they ascended several flights of stairs, Harper wondered if everyone here in Westown was physically fit. As soon as she got to the highest level, her legs started feeling heavy again, probably from all the work she put in this morning. On the other hand, Frank and several others she saw barely broke a sweat, which she assumed was because they had done this for a long time. Harper made a mental note to come here every now and again, if only to get herself used to this. She waited outside as Frank went into the yellow building. Still, the obnoxiously pink establishment right next to her caught her eye. For what it was worth, it did look pretty, even if whoever painted it went a little overboard with making it as obnoxiously pink as possible. Curiosity seized her.

' _I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a quick look. Maybe they're selling some seeds,'_ Harper thought, rubbing her chin with one hand. Planting some flowers might be a good idea if she was going to start now, and she still had some money on her. Why not? Mustering her courage, she went inside, the bell above the door making a lively jingling sound as she pushed it open.

Floral scents caressed her nostrils. Flowers were everywhere. Hanging from the ceiling, lining the shelves on every table in front of every wall, laying straight on the counter. Behind the register, Harper could see a pretty young woman wrapping some plastic around a bundle of flowers, happily humming a tune to herself. Her golden curls bobbed as she swayed her head left and right, and the flower accessories in her hair seemed to look just as lively as she. Her little flower necklace dangled from her neck since she was bending down as she worked on the bouquet. Harper was at an impasse. The woman looked busy, enjoying her work even. Harper didn't want to disturb her. On the other hand, she did want to know if she had certain flower seeds she could plant.

Mulling about it wasn't going to help, so Harper simply approached. "Umm...hello?"

The woman looked up, meeting eyes with Harper. They were a sparkly bluish green color, gentle and warm. Harper averted her gaze, focusing on her bouquet. She felt like she was being stripped to the bone the second someone laid eyes on her. Thankfully, once the surprise wore off, the blonde woman flashed a friendly smile.

"Hello! I didn't see you there. I'm sorry, I got a little too caught up in my work," The woman explained in a high, cheery voice, though still distinctly an adult voice. "Anyway, welcome to Thousand Bouquets!"

' _How fitting,'_ Harper thought. Considering all the flowers in here, the woman could easily make a thousand bouquets with this many of them. It was like Harper had walked into a rainbow garden. Not helping matters was that even the walls were pink. Harper liked pink as much as the next girl, but there had to be a limit to how much of it one needed in this place.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," The woman said, standing up from her seat. "Are you new here, or are you just visiting?"

Scratching her head with one hand, Harper mulled over her words. "Yeah, new here. I just moved into my Uncle Frank's house down the road."

Suddenly, the woman's jaw dropped, and her blue green eyes were as wide as saucers. "Frank? Do you mean Frank Bradbury?"

"That's him."

"Oh!" The woman's hands clasped together as she made an approving squeal. "Is your name Harper? Frank did say his niece was moving in with him!"

Knowing she was going to say the obvious, Harper held her hand up. "I'm his adopted niece, yeah."

"I see! Welcome to Westown!" The woman was practically giddy. She kept jumping up and down, her gold curls bouncing right along with her. "Oh! I probably got a little too excited. I'm Lisette Blumenthal, the florist. It's so nice to meet you, finally!" Her cheeks were red like cherries, and she glowed with joy. "Frank's told me so much about you!"

Harper nodded again, cheeks reddening, more out of shyness than joy. Lisette's outward excitement was a bit too much, so she took a step back. "I'm sure he did."

"Whoops!" Lisette suddenly remembered where she was. "I need to be professional. I'm still at work, after all," She reminded herself aloud, giving herself a minute to compose herself. "Alright then. Are you looking for anything?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if you had blue morning glory seeds."

Lisette smiled sweetly. "Indeed we do! I'll go get them," In no time at all, Lisette trotted over to a nearby stand, plucked out a packet of seeds, and handed them to Harper. "Here they are!" She rung them up at the register. Two packs of them were two dollars, and Harper paid for it without difficulty.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome! Come again!"

Morning glory seeds in hand, Harper waved goodbye before going out the door. Three words popped up in her mind that described Lisette: Dorky. Enthusiastic. Passionate. Lisette seemed nice enough, though maybe a little too easily excited. Then again, Harper wasn't exactly an erupting volcano of rainbows and happiness herself. She liked her alone time, with only a few people. Being surrounded by too many people sucked the energy right out of her. Still, she told herself not to write off Lisette completely. Who knows? Maybe she could be a potential friend. As she found herself lost in thought, she didn't notice a big man standing in front of her, only a sheet of red.

"Harper!"

"Oh!" Harper almost jumped two feet in the air. She looked up. "Uncle Frank! Sorry about that."

"It's alright. I see you got some seeds."

Harper looked down at the seed packets. "Yeah," Her voice lowered into a soft lull, almost dream-like. "I really like morning glories, especially the blue ones. I'm thinking about planting some when the weather gets nicer."

Frank flashed an approving grin. "I don't see why not. Anyway, how 'bout we head back? I bet you're plum tuckered."

Plum tuckered was putting it mildly. But Harper agreed with the idea. She had enough of Westown for today.

* * *

At 5:12 PM, Harper took Lucky out so he could do his business. Being a beagle, Lucky spent most of his time sniffing practically everything, from single blades of grass to those confounded wheels by the mailbox. Harper held onto Lucky's leash, watching as the curious little beagle searched for the perfect spot to urinate. Frank sat on the front porch, peacefully strumming the strings on a small ukulele, playing low, lonely notes. It was impossible to ignore the melody of her uncle's hoarse, raspy voice singing a cheesy, country love song.

Finally, Lucky decided to do his business right near the road, lifting one leg. "Took you long enough," Harper spat under her breath. As much as she liked Lucky, she did wish he wasn't so picky about where he wanted to go to the bathroom. If she ever got her own dog, she'd get one that wasn't picky about this kind of stuff. Maybe a pit bull or a Brittany spaniel. Those were good breeds. When he finished, Lucky simply looked up at Harper with his large, round eyes. Soft, watery, and soulful. Harper rolled her eyes.

"You've got me under your spell, Lucky," Harper kneeled down to stroke Lucky's floppy ears.

"Hello, Frank!"

Out of nowhere, the voice of an old woman caught everyone's ears. Not only that, it was strangely close by. Harper stood up, freezing in place as she saw an elderly woman approach Frank. The woman's grey hair was tied into a tight bun, though the orange bonnet wrapped around her head stood out far more. Her blue eyes gleamed when she met Frank's gaze.

"Howdy, Megan," Frank stood up to talk to her at eye level, even though they were the same height.

"I'm glad I caught you," Megan said, pulling at the sleeve on her green cardigan. "I'm here to collect your business tax," It was here that she noticed Harper just a few feet away. "Oh! Is she the relative you've been telling me about?"

"Yes'm. This here's Harper Maxwell."

"Uhh...hi," Harper could only wave her hand rigidly.

Megan's blue eyes locked right onto her, and Harper was helpless to get out of the way. Suddenly, Megan approached her instead. "It's such a pleasure to meet you, Harper! My name's Megan Rubens, and I'm the mayor in this town. Well, I'm technically the town elder, but it still counts, since I practically run everything here, so I might as well be mayor."

Although her voice was hoarse and a little crackly, just like any other old woman, Megan had no shortage of energy and enthusiasm in the way she talked and moved. "I'm also a farmer, just like Frank!" Then, a set of arms wrapped around Harper, trapping her in an embrace.

Harper's breath hitched, and her eyes shrunk. Megan's green cardigan scratched at her skin, and the unfamiliar hands digging into the fabric of her clothes send searing jolts of pain into her. She was trapped. For a moment, Harper couldn't breathe. But she knew she needed to get out. This was too much. Suddenly, Harper broke from Megan's grasp, pushing the old woman off with both arms before returning to Frank's side, trembling. Megan looked quite taken aback.

"My, my. Did I startle you? What's wrong, sweetie?" Megan asked, her cheer immediately morphing into concern.

Frank took it upon himself to explain. Harper would have liked to do so herself, but she could still feel her skin itch, and it overpowered any attempt she made at speaking. "Sorry, Megan. Harper doesn't like being touched or hugged suddenly, especially by people she doesn't know. She's autistic, y'see."

"Is that what it is. I see," Megan tugged at her yellow turtleneck shirt. "I apologize, dear. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Harper got her voice back. "No, it's fine. It's nice...meeting you. Come on, Lucky," With that, she took Lucky back inside, walking back into the house through the back door. At least walking a dog proved to be a good excuse to get away from the situation. Even when she got back inside, she could still hear Frank and Megan making conversation. Thankfully, it was mostly about farming and business tax, nothing about her, so that was a relief.

It didn't take long for Megan to leave the premises, and a little later, Frank and Harper sat down for dinner. Today, Frank made chicken with white rice and spinach noodles. Another favorite. They sat and ate their meal quietly, just the way they liked it.

"Hey, Harper?"

"Hm?"

"Sorry about Megan. She always greets people by hugging them. That's always been the custom here in Westown," Frank told her, prodding at his chicken with his fork. "She's a real nice lady, just so you know. She really didn't mean any harm."

Harper waved off his apology. "I know. It's alright. You don't have to apologize," She reassured, though she did doubt whether it did any good. "I'm sure she's nice."

Thankfully, Harper's reassurance worked, as Frank took a bite out of his rice before continuing on. "She's helped me a lot the whole time I've been here. She's kind of like my Ma all over again," Frank added happily. "If you ever need any help if I'm not around, she's the go-to lady for all your farming needs and advice on life."

Harper made an approving, noncommittal hum as she swallowed some noodles.

After dinner, Frank and Harper had to water the crops again, since the sun likely dried up the water by now. Crops needed to be watered twice a day, daily, so that way they received continuous hydration. Like before, Harper worked on her assigned field, and Frank on the other side. Harper didn't feel as tired or sore watering the crops this time around, which she attributed to having had dinner. It still took a while for them to water everything, but once everything was watered, Harper took a shower, fed the animals, blow dried her hair, and got herself ready for bed.

The sky had already turned black when she plopped down onto her bed. "What a day," Harper mused aloud, looking up at the rustic brown ceiling above her. "This is gonna take some getting used to."

Oddly enough, Harper felt surprisingly calm and at peace in her uncle's house. It wasn't her old home in Avonlea, nor any of the other homes she lived in, but it was nice enough. Still, the annoying little bug known as anxiety still flitted around her mind, like a fly that she knew was there, making those buzzing noises, but couldn't figure out where exactly it was. Thoughts of owning her home, mortgage, making a steady income, fields of crops, all of them piled up in her mind. She knew she didn't have to worry about that stuff until later, but it always seemed to come back to her.

With a grin, Harper then leaped off the bed and began galloping around the room, skipping and hopping to push out any excess energy she had left. There wasn't any point in keeping it in if all it was going to do was make her feel restless. She galloped all over the room, skipping and waving her arms. The burn in her stomach was starting to go away, which was good. Reese, who had trotted into the room shortly after she started, didn't pay her any mind. Reese just laid down on the carpet, curling herself into a comma shape, content as can be.

' _Today's been good so far. My first day as a real farmer,' Harper thought as she continued galloping. 'I'll finally be able to fulfill my lifelong dream! The people I've met liked me so far, though I still have a long way to go,'_ As much as Harper wanted to believe the people she met so far liked her-Wayne, Lisette, and Megan-she was sure that if they learned the truth about her, they'd probably change their mind like how a chameleon changes color. Once again, she pictured Leah's angry face as she rattled off a list of how having an autistic girlfriend who loved farming was social suicide. With a soft groan of frustration as memories of her break-up soured her mood, Harper stopped galloping and sat back on her bed.

' _Screw you, Leah! I don't need you!'_ Harper reminded herself. This was a new start. The beginning of a long road that would lead to her becoming the farmer she always dreamed of being. A new place. New people, who may or may not be better than others she had met in her life. Maybe new friends. A new life, one that she could forge for herself once she felt she was ready. She knew this would be tough. Nobody said farming was easy. Her father and Frank even said as such. Nonetheless, part of her was excited. Excited to take the first step to becoming a farmer, just like she always wanted.

She wasn't sure how it was all going to happen yet. For all she knew, she might stumble, fall, make some mistakes, even break down and cry. But she wanted to do it. She had to.

"Tomorrow's a new day," Harper whispered to herself, turning off the light and letting sleep take over.

That was how Harper spent her first full day in Westown, and thus it was how her new life started.


	3. Taking The Next Step

Chapter 3: Taking The Next Step

Since moving into Frank's house, Harper developed a new routine for herself: Wake up at 5 AM, eat breakfast, get dressed, work on the farm for several hours, and anything else after that wasn't set in stone, except for dinner with Frank at 5:30 PM. If there was one thing Harper liked, it was having stuff to do and having some structure to her day. Routines helped put things in line, kept her in line, gave her something to focus on. It was safer that way. The chaos and unpredictability of life often threw her for a loop more times than not, especially with all the pressures that it imposed upon her. The good thing about farming was that it was easy to figure out what needed to be done, what would happen, when, and how to go about it. There was always a simple solution for everything. Farming wasn't rocket science, and that was perfectly fine with her.

All throughout the final weeks of February, and halfway into March, Harper mostly kept herself at the farm, rarely going into Westown. She wanted to get used to working on Frank's farm first before deciding to venture into a city full of people, crowds, new smells, new voices, new textures, all sorts of things that might either swallow her up, suck out all her energy, or make her feel trapped. Thankfully, Frank understood and didn't push her to do anything she didn't want to. She was a big help on the farm, so he wasn't complaining. Harper kept her eyes on her work, and saved the rest of her time for herself and for Reese. At this point, she wasn't ready to expose herself to a big jumble of noise and strange bodies, with the all too real possibility that she might crumple to the floor the second she tried to extract any form of substance and meaning from all the chaos.

Of course, that didn't mean she didn't interact with anyone at all. Late in February, when the late winter air developed a particularly frosty bite to it, Harper was outside watering her radish crop, all bundled up in her coat, earmuffs, and fingerless gloves. Regular gloves always made her hands feel itchy and dry, and it was really hard to do simple things when wearing them, like turn the door knob. Fingerless gloves were a big blessing, even if it meant her fingers had to deal with the cold. It was still light out, and Harper took some time to water her radish crop a second time, figuring they needed an extra drink.

"I wonder how Tiffany and Orson are doing?" Harper wondered aloud to no one in particular. "I'll probably send some texts their way later on."

As she finished watering her crop, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed a group of sheep pasturing on the farm across the road. Megan's sheep. Harper turned off the hose and put it down before ambling over to the fence to get a better look. She had seen them before, but never got a chance to find time to approach them. There were five sheep total, all white, with big coats of soft, fluffy wool covering their bodies, protecting them from the February chill. Harper leaned on the fence and put her hands on her cheeks, watching them graze. As far as Harper was concerned, sheep were definitely one of the cuter farm animals she knew about, their only fault being that the "Baaaa" noises they made weren't exactly pleasant on the ears. Her ears, at least.

Suddenly, one sheep took notice of Harper, then trotting over to her, looking at her with a curious, interested gaze. Harper tilted her head, confused. Did the sheep like her and want her to pet it, or was it just making sure she wasn't an enemy? Smiling to herself, Harper reached a hand out and gently stroke the sheep's head with her fingers. Oddly enough, the sheep didn't run away or recoil at the touch. In fact, the sheep dug it's head further into her palm, relishing in the sensation of her fingers on its wooly head.

"Awwwww. You're such a cute little sheep!" Harper crooned, petting the sheep like it was Reese. "Who's a good little sheep? You are! Yes you are!" Just like that, she melted into a puddle of joy as she found herself making a new animal friend. The sheep was quite friendly.

If Harper had her way, she would have sat there and pet the sheep forever. She even wanted to hop the fence and be closer to it, but knew it was rude to trespass on someone's property, even for something as innocent as wanting to pet a sheep. Just as that thought left her mind, something flew right into her chest. "Whoa! What the?!" She almost fell over, had she not managed to catch whatever flew her way in the nick of time. Once the shock faded, Harper looked down at whatever flew into her hands. It was a piece of paper.

More specifically, a crayon drawing of a sheep standing in the middle of a grassy meadow, looking up at a blue sky. The sheep had a wide smile on its face, though a line of black crayon had cut through part of the sky, going past the edge.

"Oh no! My drawing!" The small voice of a young boy took Harper's eyes off of the drawing. A little boy much smaller than she came bounding toward the fence, his curly orange hair flying all over the place, blue eyes wide with worry. Finally, the boy suddenly stopped right in front of Harper, bending over to catch his breath. But he did keep his eyes on the drawing in Harper's hands. When he caught his breath, a nervous smile spread across his face. "Oh! You got it!"

Harper looked at the drawing, then at the little boy. From what she could tell, he looked to be about six or seven years old, maybe eight. "Is this yours?"

The little boy nodded. "Yep. The wind...blew it away from me."

That explained it. Harper held the drawing over the fence, right in front of the boy. "Here you go. It's safe and sound."

The little boy gingerly took the drawing out of her hands. "Umm...thank you, Miss," He whispered, voice small and meek.

"No problem. I'm glad I wound up catching it when I did."

In the back of her mind, Harper's thoughts were all over the place. One part of her prayed to the Gods that this little boy wasn't one of those spoiled, bratty kids who always screamed and cried over every little thing, throwing tantrums and destroying everything. Crying babies and screaming kids always made her ears feel like they were being ripped to pieces, cutting through everything. Plus, she never was good with young kids at all. Another part of her reminded her that not all kids were loud, rambunctious little monsters. This little boy's voice never seemed to go above a soft whisper, and he seemed nice enough. Not only that, she had seen him on Megan's farm a few times, so she assumed maybe he was her grandson.

"Ummm...who're you, Miss?" The little boy asked.

"Oh! I'm Harper," She introduced herself, pointing to Frank's farm. "I moved in with my Uncle Frank over there."

"Oh," The little boy shot a curious glance over at Frank's farm. Like Harper, he averted his gaze, keeping his eyes on his drawing. "Umm...my name's Colin. It's...nice to meet you," He said, his fingers fidgeting with the drawing in his hand, namely keeping the edges straight.

"Did you draw that?"

Colin nodded before sighing. "The wind made me mess up, though."

Harper figured he was talking about that line in the sky that popped up from the sheep's wool. "Yeah. It happens. I know the feeling. I think it looks good."

Colin's cheeks turned pink at the compliment. "...Thanks. Ummm...I saw you petting Amelia here."

"Amelia?" Harper looked over at the sheep she was petting. It-or she, as it turned out-remained where she was, staring at her. "Is that her name?"

Again, Colin nodded. "She's really nice."

"She sure is," Harper agreed, stroking Amelia's ear.

Before the two could continue talking, Megan's voice suddenly cut them off. "Colin! It's time for dinner! Come on inside!" Megan called out from the entrance to her house, completely oblivious to the fact that Harper was nearby. Harper watched her go back inside, but she noticed that she left the door open, probably so Colin can rush inside.

Little Colin squared his shoulders, and his thick, orange eyebrows were knitted into a deep frown. "I think...I gotta go home now. See ya," With a slow wave of his hand, Colin flashed a nervous smile and trotted back into his house, his drawing tucked safely under his arm.

Harper waved right back silently as she watched Colin walk right inside. The knots that formed inside her heart were slowly untangling themselves, and she could feel her shoulders relax. She sure hadn't expected to actually be able to talk to a little kid without either covering her ears or running away, much less befriend said little kid. Colin was actually sweet and nice! He thanked her for saving his drawing. Most little kids she knew just assumed she did something bad to whatever item she found for them and yelled at her about it, even after she explained what really happened. God, did she hate that. People were always so quick to assume the worst about complete strangers, even when they didn't do anything to them. Colin didn't.

Would Colin be a potential friend? Who knew. Harper liked the idea of being friends with him. Maybe she could be a pretend older sister for him and teach him stuff about life. But for all she knew, maybe Megan or his parents or whoever else might take any interaction they have the wrong way, assuming she might be a budding pedophile. As far fetched as it may sound, it could happen. Harper had seen and read plenty of stories like that on the news.

"Stop thinking that way, Harper!" She scolded herself out loud as she turned to walk back to Frank's farm. "Nobody's gonna think you're some creeper just because you want to be friends with a little kid. Quit being so paranoid!" She hated how her brain worked sometimes, always expecting the worst case scenario for everything. Then again, she wasn't a stranger to people assuming the worst about her. Still, Colin seemed like a nice kid. As Harper went to put the hose away, she hoped she and Colin could play together sometime.

* * *

By mid-March, Harper had settled into Frank's house just fine. She had gotten used to sleeping in his upstairs bedroom, waking up early to help him on the farm, feeding the livestock, growing crops, and so on. Harper kept a close watch on her radish crop, hoping that her radishes would grow and turn out well. She had planted some before, but that didn't mean nothing could go wrong. On one particularly clear March day, Harper had gone outside after having had lunch. As she passed her little field, something caught her eye. Green leaves poked out from the soil. Round, full, and perfectly green. She noticed something else as well.

Something red.

"Huh?" Harper ran over to her crop and go down on her knees. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Harper kneeled down to get a better look. Leaves sprouted out from the ground, attached to something red. "Are these...my radishes?" Harper asked herself. She brushed some soil out of the way, revealing more of the red thing underneath. She touched it with one finger to feel it. It was real and hard.

"No way!" Harper suddenly shot up, whirling around to face the farm a few feet away. "Uncle Frank! Uncle Frank!" Harper couldn't help but yell, her voice rising in volume the second she saw what might be fully grown radishes. Uncle Frank needed to know about this. "I think my radish crop is ready!"

"Coming!" It didn't take long for Frank to walk out from inside the farm, pushing his sleeves up toward his shoulders. When he caught up to her, he looked down at the rows of radish leaves before him, scanning them pensively. There was a brief moment of silence as Frank continued to size them up, scratching his beard with one hand. Then he turned to Harper and flashed a pleased grin. "Yep. Sure looks like they're ready! Wanna pull them out?"

Pull them out? Her radishes were ready? The thought of having grown her first crop here in Westown shot through her brain, sending excitement all throughout her body. Overcome with delight, Harper shouted, "Heck yeah!" Then she got back on all fours and pulled her radishes out from the soil, one by one. Each radish she pulled out was small, the size of her whole palm. They smelled like fresh earth, their roots dirty and spider-like in her hands.

With every ripe radish she pulled out from the ground, Harper's spirits soared ever higher. There were a few duds, but the good radishes outnumbered the bad ones. Some of them turned out too small. Others had wooden roots that were crinkly and had dried up. Others had been eaten by bugs or rodents that might have been burrowing in the dirt, and she had pulled out nothing but leaves and radish pieces. Even so, Harper held every good radish in her hands like she had uncovered a treasure chest full of gold. By the time she pulled her last radish, Harper was light as air, her veins flooding with an excited, joyful, almost crazed energy. She set them down and counted them all, putting aside the radishes that didn't turn out so great.

"Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen…" Harper counted each radish, pointing to them with her index finger. When she pointed to the last radish, she inhaled sharply. "I grew twenty-two good radishes?! No way!"

Frank burst into merry laughter, wrapping a big arm around Harper, pulling her close. "Wow! That's a fine crop you got there, Harper! Great job!"

"Hey, quit it!" Harper exclaimed, watching as some of her radishes fell to the ground, rolling on the dirt. "You're making me drop them!"

Taking the hint, Frank immediately let go. "Whoops! Sorry!"

Harper smiled in his direction, kneeling down to pick up the radishes that fell out of her hands. "It's alright. So what do we do with them?" She asked. Her arms were beginning to feel the full weight of the radishes pressing down on them. "They're starting to get heavy."

"Here, I'll take some off your hands," Frank offered, immediately gathering some of Harper's radishes, cradling them in his arms. Harper could feel the difference right away. The radishes she still had didn't feel as heavy on her arms this time. "I'll wash them off, and then we can put them in the shipping box. After that, when the money comes in, you'll get your pay," He explained further.

Radishes in hand, they went into the kitchen to wash the dirt off them, for obvious reasons. Harper watched as Frank used a vegetable brush to clean off the dirty spots, bristles rubbing against the radish skin gently. After watching him do it for a few minutes, he instructed her on how to do it herself, then let her try it on her own. Like usual, Harper kept her eyes on her work, focusing intently on cleaning the dirt off of her crop. She was so focused on cleaning her radishes that the sound of her cell phone going off made her heart stop. She yelped in fright, dropping a radish into the water.

She did manage to compose herself enough to run over to her phone and answer it, without even looking at who was calling. "Hello?"

" _Hi, Harper! It's me!"_ It was her mother's voice, as lovely as the sound of a silver bell.

Too bad Harper's chest was still pounding. "Jeez, Mom! You nearly gave me a heart attack just now!"

" _Oh, did I? I'm sorry. I didn't intend to frighten you,"_ Harper could hear the remorse in her mother's voice, and that made the pounding in her chest slow down. " _What were you doing?"_

"Cleaning my radishes. I pulled out my first ripe batch of them today! Uncle Frank's helping me wash the dirt off them."

" _Really? That's wonderful, dear!"_ Any sorrow Marlena had earlier disappeared right away, and she rejoiced in Harper's accomplishment. This time, Harper could only grin with delight, finally sitting down to revel in hearing her mother's voice. Her cell phone still vibrated somewhat against her ear, and the staticy feeling that her phone would give off made her ear turn warm. " _Anyway, I'm calling because I have something great to tell you as well!"_ Marlena announced.

Something great? Now Harper was curious. "What is it?"

" _We found a house for you!"_ Marlena exclaimed.

Harper's jaw dropped within seconds. They found a house? For her? Already? But she had only been here for a month, and from what she heard, looking for a good house for cheap was really hard. For a moment, Harper thought her mother was playing a trick on her. "A house? Seriously?"

" _Yes! It took us a while to find one at a low price, but we found one! Not only that, it's right near Westown!"_

If Marlena had been telling her that she saw aliens coming down to Earth, Harper wouldn't be any more surprised than she was in that moment.

"How...how did...what…?" All words escaped Harper in this situation. She was so trapped in her surprised that she barely noticed Frank looking over her shoulder. "How'd you even find one, and how much did it cost?"

" _We found a really good real estate agent who worked tirelessly to find something at a low price,"_ Marlena explained cheerfully. " _It certainly wasn't easy trying to find a cheap house for you."_

Marlena went on to explain that they looked at several houses, about thirty of them within the Westown area or nearby. But they all had some kind of flaw that prevented them from being a steal. One house was completely furnished, but there was no backyard, and the fence was mostly rotting wood. Another house was too close to a busy highway, and one house had a very nice yard, but inside the house, it was a mess, and it hadn't been cleaned up in years. Eventually, their real estate agent found out about an old woman who was forced to move from her old house to a living facility. She informed the Maxwells and showed them pictures of the house in question.

"You didn't buy it yet, did you?" Harper asked.

" _Not yet,"_ Marlena answered. " _We want to know what you think of it first. It's right down the road from Frank's house near the woods."_

Harper nodded in relief. She wanted to see this house for herself and see if she liked it or not. Still, a house for really cheap, and right near Frank's house. She had only just settled into her new routine at Frank's house, and a house just suddenly sprang up from the ground, just like that. The whole thing sounded way too good to be true. Not only that, there were still a lot of questions Harper needed answers for, but she could save those for after she looked at the house.

"I'll go and have a look later on," Harper told her. "Thanks for letting me know."

" _You're welcome. Call me when you come to a decision, then we can move ahead from there."_

With that, Harper ended the call. Frank couldn't hold back a grin. "I think I know which house she's talkin' about. Wanna drop by for a visit after we finish up?"

"Hell yeah!" Harper exclaimed, her hands flapping all by themselves, her phone going up and down right along with it. At this moment, Harper was an erupting volcano of excitement and anticipation. Everything was dying to pop right out, and Harper couldn't keep it all in. A house she could possibly move into, where she would live all on her own!

Once they finished their chores, Frank and Harper walked down the orange road, coming into a crossroad with trees circling all around it, save for a path leading to a large plot of land further down. Harper practically ran toward the area in question and couldn't believe her eyes. A big field stretched out before her, greeting her with a fresh blanket of green grass swaying in the breeze, with plenty of trees dotting the fields at random intervals, sending shadows across the meadow. A slightly weathered barn and coop stood next to a small, beige and white house that actually looked nice. It was a one floor house, with windows the same size as the door, donning a big roof consisting of grey shingles, and some white railing was built on both sides of the porch. Not too big, but not too small either.

Expression brightening, Harper got a closer look at the house, taking it all in. "Oooh, this IS a cute house!" Harper exulted. This little ranch house definitely looked manageable enough, but she knew she shouldn't jump to conclusions too quickly. Just as Frank caught up to her, Harper was quick to go right inside, not even bothering to wait for him.

"Jeez, Harper!" Frank stopped to rub his back. "Slow down a bit! It's not going anywhere!"

Ignoring him, though not intentionally, Harper inspected the inside of the house. The interior was a little dull at the moment, and every room she poked her head in was empty, devoid of any furniture, decoration, and furnishings. The wooden floors in each room were all faded from years of having feet and shoes scuffing it. Many of the strips were different colors, from light brown to deep burgundy. Even so, Harper could smell the faint scent of ammonia and chlorine, and she could tell someone did come here and give it a thorough cleaning. Everything in the house was reasonably clean, save for a couple missed cobwebs in the occasional obscure corner. The only rooms that weren't empty or painfully dull were the kitchen-which actually had a working stove and refrigerator-and the bathroom, which had a full shower and a working faucet.

Harper's mind was at work, and she was already imagining what this house could be. One of the bedrooms was bigger than her room in both Avonlea and Frank's house, and she began picturing it as her room. Bookshelves lining the walls, her bed near the window, her computer desk near the door, and if she couldn't fit all of her books in her room, she'd get more bookshelves and put them in the living room. A big sofa and a little TV could go in there as well, and she could hook up all of her game consoles to it. With the house being as empty as it was, she figured she'd have to get her own furniture, and anything expensive would be far out of her price range. But with her own house, she could buy whatever she wanted for it, and nobody would tell her it looked weird or didn't match this color or that wall or anything of the sort.

Yes. Harper could feel it in her soul. This would be _her_ house.

"There you are!" Frank finally caught up to her once he saw her examining an empty room. "Goodness, you don't waste any time, do you?" Frank breathed aloud, using a hand to rub his aching back.

"Uncle Frank."

"Hm?"

"I want this house."

"Wait, you do?" Immediately, Frank shot back up, ignoring the pain in his back. "You really want this house?"

"Yes," Harper's voice was far away, almost dream-like. But Frank could hear nothing but stone hard determination in it. She meant what she said.

Frank smiled. "Well, glad to know you like it then," He said. "Why don't you give your Ma a call and let her know?"

He didn't need to tell her twice. By the time he finished that sentence, Harper had already dialed her mother's cell number. ' _Wow. That was quick. She sure is a go-getter, that one,'_ Frank thought happily, watching Harper as she gave her mother permission to buy the house. Her green eyes were shining with joy, and there was no mistaking the cheer in her voice when she got excited about something. It warmed his heart to see her happy. But it didn't take long for his mind to wander elsewhere. ' _Come to think of it, I think I still have that old sofa I don't use anymore. That, and some rugs and that one night stand. I bet she could put those to good use. Maybe in my spare time, I'll make her a nice bookshelf as well. Marlena says she gobbles up books like a little wolf.'_

Over the next few days, Harper and her family focused their efforts on buying the house in the woods, with the former keeping in contact with her parents as the process went on. Later, Harper got a call from her father: He bought the house for her, but he made a deal with the real estate agent and put the deed in Harper's name. That way, Harper would be obligated to pay him a mortgage every month in the form of a check. In turn, he would give her a receipt telling her what she paid and a running total of how much she paid so far. Frank offered to teach her how to write her own checks, and since Harper had a bank account, that meant she was eligible to get her own checkbook. Next, Frank took the time to meet with Megan to have some discussions about the property, since Megan was the town elder and was in charge of a lot of these kinds of things.

Later, after dinner, they decided to meet in front of the little ranch house and seal the deal. Harper came bounding into the farmland, only putting on the brakes once she saw Megan in her sight. Megan held a clipboard in her hands, which contained a small pile of papers. Soft, jovial humming caught Harper's ears when she approached.

"Hello, Mrs. Rubens."

"Oh! Hello, Harper, dear!" Megan greeted her with a smile, fiddling with some of the papers in her clipboard. "I just want you to know that all the arrangements have been made, and all you need to do is sign some of this paperwork here," Megan handed the clipboard over to Harper.

Harper peered over the papers in question, taking her sweet time in checking everything over. Once Frank caught up, Megan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Errr...you gonna sign it, Harper?" Frank asked.

"I will," Harper replied. "I'm just reading the rest of the contract and making sure it's legit, that way I know nobody's trying to trick me or scam me out of any money."

Both Frank and Megan's jaws dropped. Harper knew they'd be surprised. But what was wrong with reading the contract in detail and making sure it wasn't a scam? Her parents taught her to always be cautious and not jump into things impulsively. That was how people lost their money, jobs, homes, and their lives. Harper just wanted to be on the safe side. It didn't take long for Megan to regain her composure.

"I see. It's always good to be on the safe side," Megan agreed, handing her a pen. "Now sign here...and here...right here...here, and here, too...Oh!" Suddenly, Megan slid the clipboard out from Harper's hands. "Ohhh, I thought I changed the price when I printed this!" The town elder pulled out her own pen and scribbled something onto the paper before handing it back to Harper. "Alright. That's better."

Scanning the papers, Harper stopped at the price. Her jaw dropped.

"Whoa! Don't houses usually cost more than this?"

"Usually they do," Megan said. "But this ranch house has seen better days, and the lady who owned it previously fell on some hard times and wasn't able to take care of it the way she wanted, so the property value went down significantly."

That explained it. Harper wasn't an expert on housing, mortgage, or all of the complicated stuff behind it, but she understood everything Megan said perfectly. Another signature later, she handed the clipboard back to Megan.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Rubens," Harper told her, overflowing with gratitude.

Megan waved her hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it, dear. This is your home now."

Frank tipped his hat to her. "You've been a big help, ma'am. Thank ya kindly," He turned towards his niece, smiling brightly. "Ready to haul your stuff in?"

"You bet!"

Thanking Megan once more, Harper and Frank waved goodbye to her before bringing some of Harper's things inside. She only brought three suitcases with her along with an extra bag when she first arrived, so there wasn't much to take inside, and it was easy to unpack everything. Harper found the room which she decided was going to be her room, the biggest room in the house, though it was empty and bare, save for a very small closet with no hangers in sight. There wasn't even a bed.

"Goodness. I forgot that there weren't any beds in here," Frank said, frowning. He wished he had thought about this beforehand. Harper didn't say anything in response, but she thought the same thing. How was she going to sleep? Sleeping on the floor was definitely out of the question. It was still cold, and the floor would be freezing. Harper shook her head, forcing that idea out of her mind. Not happening. No way.

"If you want, I can give you the mattress you slept on in the guest room," Frank suggested. "What d'ya say to that?"

"Sure. Good enough," Harper replied.

Thankfully for them, the property wasn't far from Frank's house, and the mattress was easy enough for the two of them to carry, so they had no trouble carrying it toward the ranch house and taking it inside. Since the house only had one floor, they didn't have to worry about any staircases or squeezing it into tight places. When they threw the mattress down, it hit the floor with a great slam.

"It's not perfect, but it'll have to do for now," Frank huffed, wiping some sweat off his brow. "I'll bring the bed frame over tomorrow, that way you won't have to spend too much money on a new one."

Harper sat down on the mattress. It was a little lumpy, and it didn't feel the same without a bed frame supporting it, but it was good enough. It helped that she brought a blanket and some pillows with her, that way she could sleep through the night. Still, this was progress. Major progress. Here she was, in her own house, where she would live all by herself.

"Thanks so much, Uncle Frank," Harper stood back up and wrapped her skinny arms around her uncle. They were too short to wrap around him completely, since he was a rather large, stout man, but she didn't care. He was perfect in her eyes. "You've done so much for me, and I don't know how I can repay you."

"Awww, shucks," Frank rubbed his niece's back with one hand, reveling in her love. "No need to thank me, girl. There's still a lot you need to learn, so I'll still be stopping by often to see how you're doing."

Burying her face into his apron, Harper thought all about what else needed to be done. Getting some decent furniture. Learning how to write checks. Looking for other means to make money besides solely working on the farm. Bringing Reese over. Setting up her computer and internet. Still, Harper's mind was exploding with all the possibilities that overwhelmed her in the best way possible.

This was her home.

Her home.

The place where she could build her dream from the ground up.

* * *

Sleep didn't come too easily to Harper the first night she slept in her house. She was a bundle of nerves and energy, unable to be completely still. Of course, waking up, tilling the earth and planting even more radish seeds than last time was a good outlet for that excess energy. Plus, she didn't have any animals to take care of, so once the seeds were planted, she could rest for a little while longer. The thought of getting herself dirty, taking command of the land and cultivating it as she saw fit, growing her own food, and making money off it was exciting, daunting and overwhelming as it might be if she did even more of it. In a way, it was like the beginning of an adventure. It helped that the house had its own hose, so Harper had no trouble watering her plants and giving them their daily morning drink.

Of course, there was still a lot to get done.

"You doing okay over there, Harper?" Frank asked, carrying several pieces of bed frame rails underneath both arms.

"Kinda," Harper stopped every few steps just to slide some bed frame rails back underneath her left arm. But they were surprisingly slippery, and refused to stay put. "By God, these things are annoying!" She groaned out loud. Her arms were starting to turn limp from carrying them alone, and their refusal to stay in her arms was getting on her last nerve.

Frank found a nearby stump and sat down, gently putting the bed frame rails right next to it. "How about we stop and have a break for a bit?"

He didn't need to ask her twice. As soon as Harper found another stump, she plopped right down, letting the bed frame rails clatter as they made contact with the ground. Her legs throbbed from so much exertion, and her arms hung limply at her sides. She didn't even have the energy to wipe sweat off her forehead, and these bed frame rails were small and mostly lightweight. But Harper knew from experience that even carrying something that's relatively light could be heavy if carried for too long. Harper did manage to find the energy needed to pull a bottle of water out of her pocket, open it, and gulp most of it down. Working hard was definitely tiring, but she knew it'd be worth it.

As she finished, she stole a glance toward the crossroads she and Frank sat upon. One of the gates caught her eye. It consisted of a roof made of black shingles crowning two yellow supports. Two red paper lanterns hung from said roof, giving the gate a rather old fashioned look about it, and the thin wooden fences right near it certainly contributed to that look. A cobblestone road led right into it, and Harper could see some old, brown structures in front of the gate as well. They looked as though they were made of ceramic, though what they actually were, Harper had no idea.

"Uncle Frank? What's that place over there?" Harper asked curiously, pointing to the gate in question.

Frank shifted himself to get a better look. "Oh, that? That leads to a little town called...hmmm…" A confused frown crossed his face as he pondered, stroking his beard. "I can't pronounce it for the life o' me. I think it's...Sue you koo-sa or somethin'?"

Right near the gate was a big wooden sign. "I'll go check," Harper leaped off the stump and ran toward the sign. Bending over to read it, she could see very delicately written Japanese characters in bold, black ink. Of course, she couldn't read that for the life of her, as she had no knowledge of Japanese. Thankfully, she did see a word in English up in the right hand corner of the sign, big enough for her to read.

"Tsuyukusa," Harper read aloud. Once she finished, she turned around and walked back to the stump, her legs and arms no longer feeling as limp as they did before. "Have you been down there before?"

"Only a few times," Frank answered, shrugging. "My work keeps me plenty busy, so I don't really get to travel too much. But I do hear they're going to be selling turnip seeds soon, so I'm thinking about stopping by later to get some."

"Hmmm…" Now Harper was the one lost in thought. What was Tsuyukusa like? As much as she wanted to ask Frank about it, she figured maybe later, when she wasn't so tired, she could stop by herself. It was close enough, and for the most part, she had already gotten most of her things down at her house, Reese included. All that needed to be brought over was the bedframe.

As she continued to ponder, Frank stood back up. "Alright, let's get this thing down in your house."

Without a word, Harper helped Frank carry the bed frame parts in her house. After that, they both set it up and put the mattress on it. Thankfully, the bed frame was secure enough to hold the mattress up like before. Once that was done, Harper put her pillows and blanket over it, making a mental note to buy a normal comforter if she ever got around to it. When the bed was finally set up, Frank left Harper at the house, bidding her goodbye and getting back to work. Harper plopped down on her new bed, her body and soul completely sucked dry.

"Phew! That was a good workout!" Harper exclaimed, facing the barren ceiling above her. She could feel Reese jumping up on the bed and curling up next to her.

"Mrowr," Reese chimed in, settling onto the mattress like it was already her territory. Harper simply smiled her beloved cat, happy that she managed to get so much done.

For now, all she wanted to do was bask in the silence. No noise, no chores to do right now, no scrambling to get things done, just lying here on her bed, slipping into her daydreams, and letting herself go. The world's volume was down to almost mute, the chaotic intensity gone with the wind. Pure bliss. Harper wasn't sure how long she laid in bed, lost in her daydreams, dreaming of her new life on her very own farm. But she pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. It was 2:24 PM. A picture of herself, Marlena, Lynn, and Daryl served as the wallpaper for her phone, and everyone was happy, smiling big and having a good time.

"I wonder how everyone's doing?" Harper asked herself, wondering if maybe it wouldn't hurt to give them a call. Shrugging, she dialed her mother's cell phone number, holding the phone to her ear as buzzing echoed about three times. Then, someone answered.

" _Harper? Is that you?"_ It was her mother's voice.

"Hey Mom, it's me."

" _Hi, Harper!"_ Immediately, Marlena's voice blossomed into cheer. " _It's so good to hear from you! How is everything going?"_

"Good. Uncle Frank helped me move a bed frame into my house, so I have a real bed now."

" _I see. By the way, now that you called, I wanted to let you know that I sent a few packages out for you yesterday. Mostly some kitchenware I bought in the store the other day, and some of the things you couldn't bring with you before."_

Kitchenware. Plates, bowls, and eating utensils? Harper could definitely use those. "Thanks. I appreciate it. How's Beldingsville?"

Marlena told her all about Beldingsville and everything they've done since they settled in. Lynn was enjoying school a lot so far, even making quite a bit of friends on her very first day. She was especially happy about her creative writing class, and Marlena couldn't have been happier for her. Not only that, Daryl's work was close by, so he didn't have to travel too far this time, though as of right now, he was at work, so Harper wouldn't be able to talk to him right now. But Marlena's favorite thing about Beldingsville was the beach, which was close by, so she could go whenever she had time for herself. Harper rolled her eyes. Mom and her obsession with the beach. In turn, Harper told her mother about her recent farming endeavors and finally moving into her new house.

"My radishes won't finish growing until another few weeks or so," Harper finished.

" _You've been hard at work, haven't you?"_ Marlena cajoled. Then, after a brief silence, her voice lowered, turning solemn. " _I admit I'm not an expert on farming, but I wonder if you'll truly make a steady income by growing crops alone. I still worry about you, you know."_

As much as Harper hated to admit it, her mother did have a good point. Money wasn't going to grow on trees just because she grew crops. Food takes a lot of time to grow, and there was a lot that could go wrong, such as rodents and bugs eating up her crops, or they wilt before they had a chance to grow. There were a few solutions to this, but Harper didn't want to be impulsive and just try to find one right away, lest it turn out to be a bad idea. Her mother had every right to be worried.

"I know, Mom. I'll find a way. I usually do," Harper tried to be reassuring, but some doubt still slipped out regardless. "I don't have any animals yet, and I heard Westown offers part-time jobs, so I was thinking about maybe trying my hand at those some time."

Marlena giggled, the solemn stiffness in her voice fading right away. " _Always planning ahead, aren't you? But try not to push yourself too hard or take on more than you can chew,"_ Marlena advised, like any good mother would. " _There's no shame in taking a break if you get tired or overwhelmed. Plus...if you can't handle it anymore, you know you always have a home with us."_

"I know," Harper could already feel a twinge of homesickness running through her. She missed her mother's comforting arms and her kind words of advice. She even missed Lynn, bossing her around, and bickering with her.

" _But no matter what, you'll always have our support, Harper. I think what you're doing is wonderful,"_ Marlena said. " _Anyway, I have to go now. I need to pick Lynn up, and remember to brush your teeth, eat healthy food, take care of yourself, do all your chores, and if you ever want to talk, my phone is always on."_

"Thanks, Mom. Bye. Love you."

" _Love you too, Harper!"_

Beep. Just like that, the call ended. Harper turned her phone off and sat up, no longer feeling as tired as she was before. She still had a lot of time, and the plants didn't need to be watered again until later. What could she do right now? It was too early for dinner, and she didn't feel like inquiring about part time jobs right now. Then again...there was that little town called Tsuyukusa she saw earlier. Maybe she could just go for a short walk down there and see what it's like. Harper nodded to herself. That seemed like a good idea. With that in mind, she put some food into Reese's bowl, put her shoes and socks back on, and went out the door.

When she got to the gate, she could hear the faint rustling of bamboo leaves. Her sneakers kicked up some stray dirt, even though she didn't walk very fast. Going through the gate, Harper found herself in awe. A yellowish dirt road stood straight and narrow before her, going right through town, running parallel to a small creek right next to it, the low humming of the rushing water soothing to her ears. The grass was much greener and livelier than that of Westown, and the air smelled and felt much cleaner, probably because there was a lot of water in this area. On her right, she could see two sets rice paddies, in perfect squares that looked like little ponds, but with green shoots sprouting up from them. There was one unused plot of land that didn't have anything on it, save for a few piles of firewood. On her left, a field of plants-Harper couldn't tell what they were-stood before a nice, deep brown house with wood doors, a lighter brown roof, and some fences made of bamboo.

' _Wow...this place is really nice…'_ Harper thought to herself, entranced by the new sights and smells before her. She could see some stray plants lining the dirt road she walked on. This would be the perfect place to go for a stroll if she wanted to just walk and be lost in her thoughts, as it wasn't as busy or overstimulating as Westown was. Westown did have its perks, and Harper had no plans to stop going there, but she did want to see more of Tsuyukusa.

Suddenly, the sound of children laughing caught her attention. She turned to her left, seeing two young boys kicking a ball near the field. One boy looked to be about eleven or twelve, the other maybe between four or seven. Harper stopped in her tracks, watching them play. Both boys had black hair, albeit in different styles, and bright blue eyes, wearing brightly colored clothes that she couldn't quite put a name to. Then, the older boy kicked the ball, and it flew over the field in a round, semicircular arc.

"Whoops! I kicked it too hard!" The older boy exclaimed.

The smaller boy gave chase, even though the ball rolled to a stop once it got near Harper. She kneeled down to pick it up, right as the little boy in the blue clothes approached her, looking up at her expectantly. Harper could tell he wanted his ball back.

"Here you go," She handed the ball to the little boy, who gingerly took it into his hands.

"...Thank you, Miss," The little boy whispered in a very small, cute voice. But he did sound a little bit stoic.

But when Harper got a better look at him, Harper's jaw dropped. The little boy's hair was arranged in a very strange style. ' _What the heck is with his hair?!'_ She thought. A line of hair circled around the back of his head, another strip of it lined his forehead, and there was a small tuft of it right on top, tied with string. Nothing else was there. In a way, he looked like a very tiny monk who shaved most of his hair save for a few places. What parent would allow their kids to have their hair like that? But she didn't dare say it out loud, knowing it'd be rude to do so.

"Hey, Yaichi!" The older boy exclaimed, running over to them. "What's taking you? Oh!" It didn't take long for him to take in Harper's presence. "Hey there! Thanks for getting our ball!" The boy beamed, his spiky black hair a tad wet from sweating. But his voice was bright and lively, reasonably so for a twelve-year-old boy.

"You're...welcome," Harper sputtered, feeling their interested gazes burn right into her.

"Are you the new farmer who moved in down the road a piece?" The boy asked. Harper could tell he was the more talkative of the two. "I'm Tatsumi, and this is my little brother, Yaichi!"

"Hi," Yaichi greeted her without much enthusiasm compared to his older brother.

Harper just waved her hand at the two boys. She had to admit, she was glad they didn't ask to shake her hand. That'd be too much. "Yeah, I moved into the farm house down there. I'm...Harper Maxwell."

The older boy, who introduced himself as Tatsumi, flashed a big smile in her direction. "Cool! Nice to meet you!" Then he gently tapped Yaichi on his shoulder. "Let's get back to our game. See ya!" With that, the two boys ran back to the field, ball in hand, continuing their game.

Not sure what else to do, Harper simply waved back at them again before turning around and walking back to the crossroads. That was unexpected. She had hoped not to wind up meeting any people on her stroll down that road. But she did see two houses on the street, so of course seeing at least one or two people was to be expected. Plus, those little boys seemed nice enough. Still, she couldn't get over Yaichi's strange hair style. Maybe it was a Japanese thing, Harper told herself. Not only that, Tsuyukusa seemed really nice from what little of it she had seen. She made a mental note to visit the rest of it sometime later. With a small grin, Harper stared out over the land before her. This was going to be her new home, Westown and Tsuyukusa being her new neighborhoods. She had no doubt that the start of her farming career would be tough. When wasn't farming tough? Nobody started off immediately successful. But she could tell this was the start of something new and exciting.

She skipped back home, flapping her hands and galloping as she did so. Of course, her stomach decided that was the perfect time to growl, begging for food.

Her plans for tomorrow could wait. Harper had something new to think about right now. What was she going to do about dinner?

"Ugh! Why didn't I think about this earlier?!" Harper scolded herself.

Actually, there was something she could do about that. "Wait. Didn't Uncle Frank say there was a restaurant in Westown?" Harper said out loud. Come to think of it, he did. It was right next to Lisette's flower shop. Garden Grill, was it? He had mentioned something about that place having really good spaghetti and meatballs, and their garlic breadsticks were to die for.

Spaghetti with meatballs and garlic breadsticks. Good enough reason to go. She still had a lot of money saved up on her person. Why not?

"Well, Garden Grill it is," Having made her decision, Harper left the house once again, her stomach singing a chorus of hunger-induced roars.

* * *

 **A/N** : Another day, another chapter done! BIG thanks go to Durotos for immensely helping me with this chapter, mostly in regards to the housing situation. I don't have a lot of knowledge on housing and how to own a house, and she managed to give me the help I needed to get through that part. Seriously. Thanks, Durotos!


	4. New People in a New Town

**A/N** : Hey. Sorry this is out so late. I wanted to finish this chapter up back in April, since April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month and Harper is autistic and all, but...between having some writer's block on this, my Pokemon fanfic, my job giving me more hours, my grandma getting sick, and my cat dying, I had a lot to deal with. So...yeah. Anyway, here's more Fire and Dew! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4: New People In a New Town

Restaurants that Harper had visited were always crowded, full to bursting with people, voices bouncing off the walls and always at a high volume. Often times, she felt like the barrage of voices were close to making her head explode. In contrast, when she poked her head into the Garden Grill, she found that it was nothing like the big restaurants she knew. The walls were a deep, dark brown, and if Harper didn't know any better, she would have assumed the restaurant was made out of wood and logs, like a log cabin. The floors beneath her feet were hardwood flooring, shining like bronze, and there were only about three to four tables set up, all of them having little old-fashioned oil lamps on them. Soft, groovy jazz music played in the background. Harper could see some speakers near the kitchen area. Further inside, a man worked behind the counter, and she could hear the sound of sizzling and metal scraping against a pan.

"Whoa…" Harper mused to herself, glancing over at a fancy yellow drum set on her left. Did bands get invited to play here? Her mother would certainly love it if this place did have live music here. Many restaurants Marlena liked had live bands playing their instruments. "This place is really nice…"

"Hello there!" Suddenly, a cheery voice cut through Harper's thoughts. Her heart skipped a beat as she yelped in surprise, whirling around to find an unfamiliar woman standing in front of her. In return, the woman's hazel green eyes widened in unison, one of her hands clutching a tiny notepad.

"Jeez! Where'd you come from?!" Harper yelped, her heart pounding even as she took in some breaths to try and calm down. This was the second time something had scared the living daylights out of her. She hoped this wouldn't be a regular occurrence.

"Oh. Did I scare you? I'm sorry," The woman apologized, twirling her free finger around one of her blonde curls. "Welcome to the Garden Grill! I'm Carrie Steinbeck. Are you here for a meal?"

It took a short while, but Harper's heart finally stopped thundering, and the adrenaline rush faded. "Yes please."

The perky blonde woman, Carrie, flashed a bright grin. "Alright then! We have a free seat over here, and I'll get you a menu right away."

Carrie escorted Harper to a table dear the drum set before skipping away to get some menus, her red and white heart themed apron fluttering around her blue skirt as she walked. Harper could hear Carrie's cowboy boots thumping against the floor with every step. She shrugged in silence. When Carrie brought her a menu and asked about drinks, Harper requested a glass of water with a straw. She needed to have a straw with her water. Oftentimes, water served at restaurants was served with ice, making it way too cold for her to handle if she drank it normally. It would make her teeth flare up, even if she did like some cold food, like ice cream.

Examining the menu, Harper found the pasta section, along with spaghetti and meatballs as a dinner choice. So this was what Frank was talking about. It helped that the menu was peppered with pictures of various meals, such as lasagna, chicken alfredo, chop suey, and a few others that looked quite mouth-watering. Her stomach roared like a lion, agreeing with her. Suddenly, a glass of water was set on the table, along with a straw and a small basket containing warm, soft breadsticks wrapped in a white cloth.

"Here you go, miss!" Carrie barely noticed a tiny drop of water dripping on her hand as she set the glass down. "Are you ready to take your order?" She pulled a pen out from one of the heart shaped pockets on her apron. Harper had no trouble telling her what she wanted. "Spaghetti with meatballs. Got it! Would you like a side order of salad or soup?"

Side orders...Harper had forgotten about that. But she didn't find herself in the mood for either salad or soup. Salads were always coated in those weird dressings and liquids, which always made the greens taste awful, and she normally liked salads. "Neither, please."

Since Harper was one of only two customers in the restaurant at the moment, it was easy for her to hear every other voice in the building. Slow, mellow jazz music played over the speakers, and thankfully for Harper, it wasn't turned up very loud. Thank goodness for that. She could hear Carrie walking over to the counter and giving the man a piece of paper.

"Here you go, Brad."

"Thanks! I'll hop to it right away!"

Harper chowed down on one of the breadsticks soon afterward. Warmth and softness completely overwhelmed her in the best way possible. The breadsticks were soft and easy to chew, warm but not so hot that it would burn the inside of her mouth. ' _Mmmmm! My God, these are the best!'_ Harper found herself lost in the heavenly bliss the breadsticks offered her. She was sure she could live off of these if she could. It didn't take long for her meal to arrive, and Harper took her time, savoring each bite of her spaghetti and meatballs. The rumbling in her stomach finally ceased. But Harper knew she couldn't have dinner here all the time. She was going to have to start making her meals on her own, and she barely had much practice in cooking. At least she knew how to use a microwave. Too bad her new house didn't have one.

"I'll have to eat this whole thing," Harper mused to herself. There was a lot of spaghetti, and the meatballs were as big as tennis balls. She was already starting to feel full, but taking it home wouldn't be a good idea. How could she reheat it if she brought it home with her? Were there any stores she could visit that sold microwaves? Keeping that in mind, Harper continued to eat, taking slow bites so she wouldn't feel too bloated.

It didn't take long for Carrie to approach her table again. "Hey there! How is everything?"

"Great. Thanks," Harper replied right after she swallowed.

Carrie clasped her hands together, still smiling brightly. "Ummm...pardon me if this is rude, but you wouldn't happen to be Frank's relative, right?"

Harper glanced at the braid coiling around her head, raising an eyebrow. Word must really travel fast in this town. "Yes, I am. I'm his adopted niece, Harper."

"Ohh! I did hear you'd be moving in!" Carrie exclaimed, brushing a lock of hair out from her face. "It's so nice to finally meet you! I'm in charge of customer service here in the Garden Grill, and my husband over there is the proprietor and chef," She pointed toward the man behind the counter. Harper took another bite of some spaghetti, chewing slowly as Carrie continued on. "I do have to admit, I didn't expect his relative to be someone as cute as you!"

Cute? Harper could feel herself going rigid. Hardly anyone ever called her cute, and she didn't know how to take that. Did this Carrie woman actually mean it, or was she just saying it to make her feel better? But Harper could tell she wasn't trying to be patronizing. Carrie didn't use an overly cutesy baby voice, nor did she talk to her like she was severely mentally handicapped. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Thanks. But seriously, these breadsticks are to die for," Harper replied.

"They are!" Carrie agreed. "I can get you more if you'd like."

"No thanks. I don't have a microwave right now so I won't be able to reheat them if I bring them home."

"I see. Alright then! Enjoy your meal!"

After that, the rest of the day was pleasant. The food was at a reasonable price, and Harper had enough money to pay for it, so once she finished, she paid the bill and went on her way, feeling full and satisfied. On her way home, her mind outlined a plan for tomorrow, and she thought about the first thing she'd do tomorrow morning: plant those morning glory seeds.

* * *

One good thing about starting work early in the morning was that it was quiet. Everything was quiet. No really bright sunshine to completely blind her, no loud noise overwhelming her ears and everything else in her body and being by extension, no annoying people telling her what to do, no expending too much energy trying to meet people's expectations, no piles of paperwork, no homework, nothing of the sort. She could do whatever she wanted on her farm the way she wanted. If she was tired or overwhelmed, she could actually sit down, stim, and recharge for however long she wanted, and nobody would scold her, get angry, or claim she was being lazy. On her farm, she was her own boss.

Harper pushed a piece of broken lattice fencing into the soil, then driving her boot onto the bottom, making sure it was completely secure. "There we go!" With a few good pushes, Harper got the fence to stay in the dirt. It happened to be behind her house, and she did think about throwing it away until she thought about her morning glories. The lattice fence would be the perfect thing for her morning glories to trail around, since she didn't have a real trellis nor got around to buying one. Once that was done, Harper opened the seed pack she bought and slowly spread the seeds in front of the lattice fence.

A wave of excitement rushed over her. She could already picture blue morning glories blooming all over that rickety lattice fence. The thought of seeing those beautiful blue blooms made her jump up and down with glee, her hands flapping in tune with her bouncing. It helped that her radish crop was already starting to produce some new leaves. Everything was starting to go well so far, and she had only just started. She couldn't believe her luck, and Harper was completely overcome with joy.

"Nnnngh! I can't believe this is really happening!" Harper exclaimed, continuing to jump up and down, flapping her hands to get the excess energy out of her system. The world was spinning all around her in the best way possible, and she couldn't help but let herself be caught up in it.

"Can't believe what's happening?"

Head snapping up at the sound of Lisette's willowy voice, Harper's mortified expression froze on her face as she caught sight of Lisette, standing right next to her. Lisette flashed a warm smile in Harper's direction, her golden hair seeming to glow in the strong morning sunlight.

"Whoa! Lisette!" Harper immediately stopped. Did Lisette actually see her stimming just now? "Where'd you come from, and how long have you...been here?!" She sputtered.

"Just a few seconds," Lisette replied. "I had some free time on my hands, so I thought I'd stop by. Is that...alright?"

"Ummm...sure!" Feeling rather flustered, everything that came out of her mouth was reduced to little more than stammers. "I'm still kinda...getting the hang of farming by myself."

It was here that Harper noticed something in Lisette's hands. A black lamp with the cord wrapped all around it, donning a pretty little purple and blue shade. Harper raised an eyebrow, eyeing the lamp with confusion. "What's with the lamp?" She asked, pointing to it.

"Oh! I brought this for you, actually!" Lisette explained, holding the lamp out. "I thought it'd be a nice housewarming gift! I've had this for a while and I've been wanting to get rid of it, but never could. It still works, by the way."

A gift, from someone she barely knew. Harper stood there, staring at the lamp, completely nonplussed and dumbfounded, stripped of words she could use to convey her thanks. Lisette actually went out of her way to bring this to her? What had Harper done to deserve this? Was this really happening? Without a word, Harper gingerly took the lamp into her arms, holding it as though it were a human baby, cradling it. It was a lot lighter than she thought it'd be, and she could see a light bulb underneath the lamp shade.

"Awwww, seriously?" Harper finally found her voice. "Lisette, you really didn't have to do this."

Lisette simply let out a light giggle. "It's alright. I wanted to. I already have some new lamps, so I thought this one would be better off with you."

"Thanks so much…!" To think that someone would actually give her a housewarming gift not long after they first met. The overwhelming joy was just too much, and her whole being was overflowing with gratitude for this flowery young maiden. Now she could actually use it for light for when she wanted to get things done at night! She did have electricity in her house, and the lights did work, but she didn't want to rack up a high electric bill as soon as she moved in. "Oh! It's even got little morning glories on it!" Harper squealed in delight, noticing the patterns of morning glories and their vines running all across the lamp shade.

"You really like morning glories, don't you?" Lisette inquired.

Harper nodded. "Yeah, I do. They're my favorites. I literally just planted some right here on this fence post I found," She explained further, pointing to the fence she set up. "I tried to find a place where there wouldn't be too much sun, since I know morning glories don't like that."

The blonde woman bent over to study the fence post. Her blue green eyes flicked over to the dirt, taking note of the freshly scattered seedlings, then the fence itself. Harper held her hands to her chest, feeling as though her work, and herself by proxy, was like bacteria being studied under a microscope. After a short while, Lisette whirled around to face Harper again, her smile unchanged.

"I think you picked a good spot for them," Lisette's praise replaced Harper's doubt, but the rigid feeling in her body wasn't so quick to go away. "I would advise making sure the vines don't tangle too much, or else some of the flowers won't bloom."

Definitely something to keep in mind. Harper nodded in agreement. When Harper lived in a town called Riverboro, her mother bought some morning glories to plant, along with a small trellis. But the trellis turned out to be too small, and many of the vines got so tangled up that their flowers would only bloom once before finally wilting. Way back when Harper lived in Concord, further east, their next door neighbor always had morning glories on their fence, and they would bloom every year. Harper loved waking up in the morning and seeing the wall of blue blossoms through the kitchen window.

"By the way, do you have any plans for today?" Lisette asked, pulling some knots out of her left pigtail.

"Nothing really set in stone," Harper replied. "I do plan on taking a walk down to that Tsuyukusa place later on. Do you want to come with?"

It wasn't long before Harper's body began to relax. She could tell that Lisette was a nice girl, and the friendly, warm air she gave off told Harper that she was safe to converse with. But she couldn't make herself too comfortable around her yet. There was a lot about her she didn't know. However, the idea of being friends with this nice woman was starting to become more and more appealing with every conversation they had.

Lisette sighed. "I'd certainly like to, but I can't stay long. I have to get back to the shop and open up for business," She kicked some of the grass in disappointment. "But I am off on Thursdays and Saturdays. How's that?"

Harper flashed a thumbs up. "Excellent! Thanks so much for the lamp. I'll take good care of it."

"You're very welcome! If you need any help, don't hesitate to stop by! See ya!" Lisette waved at Harper before ambling away from the farm, looking quite content and satisfied.

The grateful farmer slowly waved back, watching Lisette's flowery frame disappear into the crossroads. Then she realized: Not once did Lisette comment on Harper flapping her hands earlier. Maybe she was just being polite and didn't want to draw attention to it, or she really wasn't bothered. Whatever the case, Harper hoped it didn't turn Lisette off to her. Then again, the fact that she came all this way just to give her a lamp said a lot about her. Lisette definitely had friend potential. If all went well, maybe they really could be friends.

The thought made her smile as she took her hose and began watering what would be the first morning glories she ever grew herself.

* * *

Since she didn't have any animals that she needed to take care of, once Harper was finished watering her crops, she had all the time in the world to do whatever she wanted. It was eight thirty when she finished watering everything, and she still had some energy she could expend. Now was as good a time as any to check out the rest of Tsuyukusa. Like yesterday, the yellow dirt path was as straight and narrow as ever, the perfect place to take a stroll. Harper inhaled deeply through her nose, taking in the clean, clear air, feeling it run through her system before letting it out with a happy sigh. Already, she was starting to feel energized. She didn't see Tatsumi or Yaichi outside, though.

"Eh. They're probably at school or something," Harper reasoned to herself. "It is Wednesday after all."

Harper thought that the southern part of Tsuyukusa was nice, but the town itself was on another level. A river ran through the town, its waters clear as glass, and shiny red bridges crossed over parts of it, leading to the back part of town. On her left was a big Japanese-style house with sturdy, green, wooden walls and clay roof tiles, with burgundy sliding doors underneath a red awning floating in the breeze. She could see a wooden sign with ' _Tea-ful Reunion'_ painted on it in bold, black paint, just like the Tsuyukusa sign near the gate. Harper stifled a giggle, wondering if the owner of the shop meant for that to be a pun on the word tearful. Tearful reunion, tea-ful reunion. Four benches covered with red cloths were right next to the shop, and she could see a matching umbrella as well. Hydrangea bushes lined the bamboo fences across from the establishment, though they weren't in full bloom yet. Many of their buds were still green, not ready to blossom into clusters of colorful flowers just yet.

The rest of the town was tidy and symmetrical, with no round curves or corners. The roads were always at sharp, 90 degree angles, with no bumps or holes in the ground. Other wooden houses lined the streets as well, with bamboo or wooden fences built near them for security. One big building further back stood out among the rest, its yellow walls and red accents bright and easy to spot, and the dark blue roof making it a vivid splash of color in this tidy town. Harper could see a red shipping box and a pile of wooden barrels right in front of it. An orange cloth sign hanging vertically on the wall read ' _Ra Man's Wholesalers.'_ Probably a store, Harper assumed to herself. It was certainly big enough to be one.

"I wonder if I can get some groceries in here," Harper mused aloud, looking up at the store curiously. "Not a whole lot, though. I don't want to buy a lot and then find I can't carry it back."

There was a lot to think about. She did need to buy some food, but not so much that it would be a hassle to carry it all the way here back to her house. She didn't have any bags or carts with her, so buying too much wasn't an option. On the other hand, she needed to get good, healthy food that would last for a while yet, knowing that she shouldn't spend all her money going to restaurants or junk food. She did have a refrigerator with a freezer, so buying those TV dinners could help. She wasn't much of a cook, so anything that required a whole lot of ingredients wouldn't work. Would this place even have frozen dinners? If it didn't, were there other places close by where she could get some? She didn't drive or own a car, so her means of transportation were severely limited.

"Ugh…" Harper groaned. All of these conflicting thoughts battling each other were starting to make her head hurt. "Why didn't I think about any of this befooooooore?" She ran both hands through her hair, scolding herself for not having set aside some time to actually learn any of these things. Everything around her and inside her started to feel heavy. Heavy with all that she had to do and get done.

"Hello? Miss?"

"Hm?" A voice pulled Harper from her reverie. Turning around, Harper saw an elderly couple standing right behind her. A large man about the same size as Frank, but slightly shorter and a little more round, with thinning gray hair on the sides of his head, which also had a white headband wrapped around it. Accompanying him was a smaller woman, with a huge head of poofy white hair, and small, lilac eyes hidden behind round glasses.

The elderly man adjusted his bamboo green cardigan before speaking. "Are you having some trouble, Miss?" He asked, his voice hoarse from old age, but low and warm, leaving no room for anything but kindness. "We'd be more than happy to help."

Help? Strangers wanting to help her? Harper wasn't sure where they got that idea. Did they maybe hear her just now? Flustered, Harper waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, no, no. I'm fine. I was just thinking about some stuff, that's all. Sorry if I wound up bothering you."

The older woman smiled. "Think nothing of it, dear. By the way, are you the woman who moved into the farm down the road recently?" She asked.

Harper gave a silent nod.

"Well, welcome to Tsuyukusa!" Harper could tell her face was a whirlpool of wrinkles, and her grin pushed some of them upward. "I'm Omiyo, and this is my husband, Umekichi. We own the rice paddies further down."

"It's nice to meet you!" Umekichi greeted her kindly.

On the other hand, Harper kept her gaze focused on their shoes, averting their eyes. "It's...nice to meet you, too. Oh!" She looked up at the store. "Does this place sell groceries? This is my first time here."

"Yes it does," Umekichi answered without hesitation. "We send some of our wares and produce here, and the owner sells it for us. I can recommend some things if you'd like."

Harper looked towards the doors. The elderly couple seemed nice enough, and she was glad they didn't try to approach her or invade her space. She was especially glad they didn't force her to shake their hands. Touching the hands of strangers always made her feel trapped, and the last thing she wanted was to feel someone's hands if they were sweaty, greasy, rough, or just plain unpleasant. But she was itching to get some food and didn't want to stay here too long.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll go see for myself. It was nice meeting you!" Harper found her opening and walked right into the store.

As much as she didn't want to linger, she couldn't help but be a little in awe of the inside of Ra Man's. It was very...traditional. Most of the floor was black, like the night sky, with some tatami mats dotted around the back of the store. There were only three stalls lining the left wall, which were mostly made of wood and paper, but Harper could see the mountains of goods right behind them. It was easy to find the grocery section, what with all of the vegetables lined up behind one particular stall. Lettuce, carrots, eggplants, turnips, radishes, corn, and many others, even a few Harper didn't recognize, such as piles of what looked to be purple leaves. She could also see some canned and packaged goods on the back shelves. But they all needed a microwave in order to be cooked, and Harper wasn't sure if she had any of the utensils she needed to cook them on her stove, like a ladle or a small pot. She did remember seeing a knife in her kitchen. Maybe she could buy some vegetables and make a makeshift salad. It wouldn't be a big dinner, but it would at least be healthy and serviceable enough.

When she approached the stall, she saw a man bending over, examining a crop of turnips in his hands. The man wore a brown, striped bandana that covered his entire head, and his deep, rich purple cardigan had thin, light blue stripes going over it, along with baggy brown trousers, black socks, and other things she couldn't put a name to.

"Excuse me!" Harper said, having already gathered a few carrots, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, some butter, and a ball of lettuce. "I would like to buy these, please."

Immediately, the man turned around and rang up her items without so much as a word. Until the price popped up on the register. "That'll be $11.26."

Harper handed him a twenty dollar bill, and the man gave her some change back before bagging her items. Then he shot a stony, scrutinizing look in her direction. Harper could feel herself turning rigid. The man looked dead serious about something, almost angry. "Thank you...sir."

"So...you're the new farmer that just moved in, eh?"

"Yes…?"

"Yoshimoto Ittetsu. I handle food sales here."

He spoke in short, blunt sentences that left little room for filler or frivolities. At least he got right to the point, something Harper wished more people would do more often. "I see."

"Ittetsu!" Suddenly, a young, willowy woman came bounding over to his stall, the deep purple sleeves of her cardigan flying all about like a bird's wings. Harper couldn't believe her eyes, her mouth hanging open in a rather ungraceful manner. But she didn't care. She was awestruck, almost in a way that felt like she was lovestruck, though she could tell Ittetsu and this woman were husband and wife. This woman was quite a beauty, with long, vivid black hair tied into a bun in the back, ivory skin, and violet eyes like the amethyst necklaces her mother would wear sometimes. Her deep magenta furisode brought some much needed color to the store, with her bright yellow obi standing out even more.

Ittetsu turned in his wife's direction, expression unchanged. "Something wrong, Shizu?"

The pretty woman, Shizu, stopped in her tracks, holding what appeared to be a small, brown notebook that was a little bigger than both of her hands. "Moriya-san found your notebook. It turns out you left it in his office and it fell underneath the table in a weird angle."

A small but pleased smile appeared on his face. "Did it, now? I wonder how that happened," Gratefully, Ittetsu took the notebook back, sliding it in his yellow shirt. "Thank you."

Soon after, Shizu finally noticed Harper was standing nearby. As soon as the woman laid eyes on her, Harper clutched her bag of groceries tightly and looked away. But it was Shizu who started the conversation first. "Oh, hello there! I hear you're the girl who moved into the farm down south. Is that true?"

"Yes…"

"It's so nice to meet you, finally!" Shizu clasped her hands together in delight. The joy in her voice was undeniable. It almost seemed to pour right out from her whole being, and Harper could only stand still like a mannequin so she wouldn't get swept up in it. "I'm Yoshimoto Shizu. You've already met my husband here, and I saw you talking to my kids yesterday."

Yesterday? Harper looked up, gazing at Shizu's hair. She saw her talking to Tatsumi and Yaichi? They were her kids? That certainly explained a lot, and she could see that both Shizu and Ittetsu looked a lot like their kids in a way. They all had the same black hair, and their choice of clothes were similar as well. Ittetsu and Yaichi didn't seem like they were big talkers, which was always a plus in her book. Shizu and Tatsumi definitely looked and acted like the energetic, lively types. She wondered if Tatsumi had inherited his mother's personality and looks.

"I did. Sorry if that seemed creepy," Harper stammered. "I was just trying to return their ball, nothing else."

Shizu waved one of her hands dismissively. "Oh, think nothing of it, Miss...uh…"

"Harper."

"Harper. My boys just love meeting new people. If you ever want to stop by and visit, come on over any time."

"Uhhh...sure. Thanks. I better be going now," Unable to stay any further, Harper zipped out the door.

This was too much. So many new people, knowing she was the new farmer who moved in, coming up to her all at once, telling her hi and how they'd love to be friends. Shizu even said it was okay to befriend her kids! Wasn't that a bit too quick? Harper thought she'd make that offer long after they had spent some time getting to know each other. A few weeks or maybe a few months at the most, not right after they first meet. The bag of groceries weighed heavy on her arms, but not so heavy that she couldn't carry it home. Good thing she made sure to buy only a few things she absolutely needed today.

"Good lord...if I wasn't carrying this, I'd be flapping my hands right now, and boy do I want to!" Harper groaned, holding the grocery bag steady in her arms. All of these interactions with new people were making her insides start to tangle up. She wished she could put the bag down and flap her hands to get it all out and not feel itchy inside. But she made a mental note to endure it until she got home.

"Nnngh!"

A grunt from nearby pulled Harper out of her thoughts, and she turned to her left. Harper spotted a little girl near one of the fences, pulling on something. The girl pulled and attempted to yank it out, but whatever it was, it wouldn't budge. Curious, Harper put her groceries down on the ground and walked closer. A broom was caught in a tight, narrow space between two wooden fence panels made of wood that seemed close to rotting. The little girl pulled, putting one sandaled foot on the bottom of the fence for extra force. Unfortunately, the black haired girl couldn't pull it out.

"Come on, broom! Come out already!" The girl cried just before kicking the fence. Again, it didn't budge.

Hearing the angry strain in her voice and seeing the troubled expression on her face, Harper couldn't watch any longer. The little girl obviously needed help, so why not go and help her? She stole a quick glance over to her bag of groceries, making sure nobody stole it. It was still there. Reassured, Harper walked closer, finally approaching the little girl.

"Need some help, miss?"

The girl looked right up, her magenta eyes bright and round, full of youthful energy. But Harper focused more on the pink plum decorations in her hair, to avoid the girl's burning, curious gaze. Conceding defeat, the little girl slumped to her knees.

"I think so," She groaned. "It got stuck while I was sweeping, and no matter how hard I pull, it won't come out."

"Let me see," Harper kneeled down to get a better look. She felt the panels on both sides. Although the wood was clearly rotting, it was still thick and hard. Some stray chips scraped against her hands. Harper was careful to not push on them too hard, lest she get splinters. Then she stuck her hand between the space, just above the broom. It slid through just fine when she kept her hand straight and flat, but her wrist filled the rest of it up quickly, and she pulled it right back out, taking care not to get stuck. "Wow. This is a tough one."

Not wanting to give up, Harper focused on the bottom of the panels. It was here that she noticed a crack forming in one of the panels. It wasn't big, but when she pressed on it with her shoe, it moved backward ever so slightly. Maybe if she kicked it just hard enough…

"Alright, stand back," She advised. The little girl backed away three steps to give Harper some space.

She stood up, and with a great yelp, she kicked the bottom of the fence so hard, a big chunk of it was sent flying. Just like that, the broom slumped, and it fell straight onto the ground. "Oh!" The girl ran to pick the broom up and pull it away. "Wow, it really worked!" The girl cajoled, hugging the broom close like it was a favorite doll or stuffed animal she had lost. "Thank you so much, miss!"

Harper had to admit, this kid had a cute smile. Plus, she could tell she wasn't one of those kids who always screamed at everything. Touched by the girl's fervent gratitude, she couldn't help but smile back. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help out."

Then, the girl suddenly averted Harper's gaze, looking down at her black sandals and light blue socks sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, it was kinda my fault it got stuck," She confessed, her cheeks turning a little pink from embarrassment. "I was trying to make one of the stray cats go away, but I pushed the broom into the fence too hard."

"It's okay! I've gotten stuff stuck a few times myself, so I know the feeling."

Now that the situation was fixed, Harper got a better look at the girl. She looked to be about nine or ten, maybe a little younger. She assumed she a little taller than Yaichi, but shorter than Tatsumi. Her black hair was cut in a neat little bowl cut, but one clump of it was longer than the rest, stretching from her plum accessory down to the bend in her elbow. She wore a yellow, orange-striped cardigan over a child-sized kimono with floral patterns on it, with a big red obi keeping it all together.

"I'm Sumomo! What's your name?"

"Harper. Harper Maxwell."

"You're the farmer who moved a little further down the road, right?" Sumomo inquired, like any child meeting a new person would. "It's nice to meet you! I have the great honor of working here at Ra Man's!" She exclaimed proudly, using the tip of her broom to point toward the wholesaler's.

"Wait...you are?" Harper raised her eyebrows. A kid her age was working? Here, no less? "Aren't you a little young to be working? You're, like...nine or ten years old, right?"

"Ten!" Sumomo admitted.

"Don't you have to be at least sixteen to work? I mean, that's how it is where I'm from."

Sumomo shook her head, the strands of hair going down past her shoulders whipping about as she did so. "Nope! My family's a little poor, and we can't afford too much, so everyone has to work no matter how old they are. Moriya-san hired me, so I do the best I can every day!" She explained matter-of-factly, but Harper could hear the unbridled cheer and optimism in her voice, like she really was happy to work. As concerned as she was about Sumomo working at ten years old, she did remind herself that Tsuyukusa did things differently than Westown and other places she'd been. Who was she to decide who could work at what age? Not only that, many kids in her neighborhoods did some low maintenance work, like babysitting, pet sitting, delivering newspapers, and so on.

"I see…" Harper said, losing herself in thought a little bit.

"So where did you move from?" Sumomo asked.

"I moved here from a town called Avonlea. My family moved to a place called Beldingsville, and I chose to move here."

Sumomo's pink eyes glimmered. "That's so cool! I bet you went to lots of different places!" Her serene, energetic smile was almost radiant. Too much for Harper to look at.

"I have."

"Oh!" Sumomo looked over towards the store. "I better go. I need to get back to work. I'll see you later!" The spritely girl waved before making a quick dash back into the building, the sleeves of her yellow cardigan flapping side to side like a flag swaying in the wind.

Harper waved right back, only not as fervently. Soon after, she ran anxious fingers through her dark brown locks, hoping today was the last time she'd interact with someone new. Even so, she did genuinely like talking with Sumomo, who looked at her with those grateful, eager eyes, wanting to know about the places Harper had been. Could she be a potential friend? Harper hoped so, relaxing a little when she remembered how happily Sumomo smiled after pulling the broom out. The thought lingered in her mind even as she walked all the way back home, grocery bag in hand.

* * *

Another surprise awaited Harper when she got home after that.

"The heck?" When Harper walked towards her house, she noticed several large boxes on the front porch, with some already on the ground. She put her groceries away before pulling the boxes inside. Some of them were from Beldingsville. Immediately, Harper beamed.

"Mom must have sent some of my stuff to me!" She exclaimed, finding a knife in the kitchen and using it to open the boxes up. The majority of them contained many of her clothes, books, and a few stuffed animals and toys, mostly personal things. Others contained things she definitely needed, like eating utensils, bathroom towels, a pot, a pan, a ladle, some wooden spoons, steak knives, deodorant, dishwashing packs, laundry detergent, and so on.

But the best of them was what was in the biggest box. When Harper opened it up, she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Holy cow! A microwave!" Harper slid the box right out, in awe as she marveled at the contents. A real microwave! Now she could plug it in and actually cook with it. Of course, she didn't have anything that would require needing a microwave, but now that she actually had one, her food choices wouldn't be anywhere near as limited as before. "I bet Mom or Dad ordered this for me. Thanks, Mom. Dad," There was no limit to how grateful she was to have wonderful parents like them. She held the microwave box close to her chest, as though she were hugging a favorite doll, closing her eyes and losing herself in the thought of her parents' unending kindness.

Reaffirming her resolve, she stood up, clenching her fists. "Alright! Time to put stuff away and get this thing set up!"

Once she got over her initial excitement, she set to work putting her things away first, saving setting up the microwave for later. She stashed her many new spoons, forks, knives, and cooking utensils into some drawers in the kitchen before putting her books, clothes, toys, and stuffed animals up in her room. It was a good thing she sent laundry detergent, because Harper had worn a lot of clothes, and the dirty ones were starting to pile up rather fast. A washer wouldn't work without detergent, and she was lucky the washer and dryer in the house were actually functional. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but when she got to putting everything away, it didn't seem like time passed at all. Once she was working, she was lost in the work, focusing solely on that and nothing else until she finished.

It helped that setting up the microwave was easy. All she had to do was put it on one shelf in the kitchen and plug it into an outlet.

"Whew! Done and done!" Harper plopped down on her bed, the weight on her legs dissipating the second she made contact with her mattress. Reese was already on the floor, wobbling around, so she didn't have to deal with being pushed off the bed. Harper stared up at the ceiling, kicking her legs and flapping her hands to get the kinks out. "Yeesh, today sure was eventful…"

A lot had happened since she moved here. Moving in and out with Frank, getting her own house with a huge plot of land, raising crops, going to a new town, meeting people she had never seen before in her life. Only now did she fully manage to process it all. Suddenly, her heart was yearning for the things she couldn't have anymore. The days where she and Lynn would play together in the backyards, either playing tag, hide and seek, watching hummingbirds drink out of the feeders her mother hooked onto the trees, or even just running around chasing each other. Sitting on the couch with her mother, watching the occasional crime show or trashy soap opera. Asking her for helpful advice on things. Helping her father change the bed sheets on his bed. Daryl driving her places and going to the park or the museums.

Could she really do this? Harper had her mind set on farming for years. Now she managed to achieve her dream. Even so, this was still only the beginning, and she needed to make some kind of steady income. There was no way she could make money with just what she had now. Sure, she still had money in her bank account, but she needed to work. Make her own way. She rolled on her bed, laying on her stomach. Just thinking about all this stuff was making her head itch all over the place. She pulled her cell phone out from her pocket. As hungover as she was from talking with all these people, she did want to talk to someone she knew. Who was available?

"Dad's probably at work right now, so he's a no go," Harper mused to herself, scrolling through her list of contacts. One name caught her attention.

Tiffany Baum.

"I wonder if she's around…?" Only one way to find out. Harper dialed her number, waiting for an answer.

Sure enough, a voice echoed from the phone.

" _Heeeey! Harper, what's up, girl?"_ A cheerful, energetic voice greeted her.

"Hi Tiff," Harper said. "How are you?"

" _I'm just fine! Hold on, let me change it to facetime."_

Harper smiled. Facetime definitely had its perks. For one, staticky voices on her phone wouldn't make her ears unnecessarily warm and itchy if she talked to someone with facetime. That was always a plus. It didn't take long for a video to materialize on her phone, showing a dark-skinned woman with long, black hair tied into a flowing ponytail that went down to her lower back, wearing a yellow tank top, light brown eyes gleaming with joy.

" _That's more like it!"_ Tiffany exclaimed. " _Wow, girl! It's been so long since I've seen you!"_ Tiffany peered in closer, her face almost taking up the entire screen.

Harper couldn't hold back laughter. "Same here. Seriously, there's so much I want to tell you, I don't even know where to start."

Tiffany backed away from the screen before pointing a finger at her. " _You don't need to. I can tell by the look on your face that you've been workin' hard! Orson said you started your farm already?"_

"Yep!"

" _That was quick! Congrats! I know you've been wantin' to own a farm for years now."_

"I'm still having trouble believing this isn't all a dream."

" _So? What's it like? Meet any new people? Got any stories to tell?"_

Unable to keep it all in, Harper told Tiffany everything that happened, from moving to Westown all the way to the new people she met in Tsuyukusa. The more she talked, the more she could feel herself relax. Here she was, talking with someone she knew and trusted with her whole heart, and she didn't feel any eyes staring at her expectantly or in that judging manner, nor did anyone try to shut her up. Tiffany listened in silence, taking care not to interrupt. Even though she could feel her throat starting to dry up and her voice developing a bit of a rasp from so much talking, she felt completely secure and safe in this moment. She placed the phone up against her pillow, that way her hand wouldn't hurt from holding it, since the grocery bag did do a bit of a number on it.

" _Sounds like you've had quite the adventure!"_ Tiffany effused, brushing a piece of hair from her face. " _I gotta say, I'm real happy for you,"_ Her voice softened to a low, friendlier lilt. " _You really deserve some happiness after all the crap Leah put you through."_

Leah. Hearing the name made her want to gag. Instead, Harper just huffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. I never want anything to do with her ever again."

" _Good! Speaking of which, you're not gonna believe what I heard!"_ Tiffany pointed her finger at the screen again. " _Remember when I told Leah's posse about the stunt she pulled on you? Guess what?"_

"What?"

" _Her friends totally ditched her!"_

Harper's eyes widened, and her mouth fell agape. Leah's friends actually turned their back on her after hearing about what happened? "Get out!"

" _Dead serious, girl! I heard that one of her friends, Kendra, really ripped into her! Apparently, Kendra's little sister is autistic and she doesn't take well to people taking advantage of any autistic people. She was so mad at her, I was sure she'd explode! She was all like,_ 'How could you do that to her?! She trusted you and you jerked her around like she was your toy! All to make yourself look good, for Christ's sake! I can't believe I was ever friends with you!' _and a whole bunch of other stuff! Honestly, it was kinda awesome."_

Awesome, indeed. "Well, she did it to herself, so I'm not losing any sleep over it," Harper deadpanned. Inside, she was cheering. Leah finally got a taste of some well-deserved karma. Nobody took advantage of or used Harper and got away with it. "...But seriously. Thanks," Harper said, her voice almost lowered to a barely audible whisper.

Tiffany's expression softened, her light brown eyes moist with compassion. " _Harper. You don't need to thank me for anything. After everything you've done for me, I couldn't just let that self-centered bitch use you, tear you down, jerk you around, and hurt you the way she did. Real girlfriends love and accept their partners for who they are, flaws and all,"_ She used one of her slender fingers to pull on her tank top a bit as she talked. " _They're not toys to be played with and then discarded when they're bored with'em."_

Nodding thoughtfully, Harper let out a relieved sigh. This was a true friend right here. Harper wasn't sure where she'd be without fun, energetic, proactive, wise-cracking Tiffany Matilda Baum. Nobody else could compare. Then again, all of her friends were precious treasures, rare and precious in her world. Leah could have been one of them, had she not done what she did. For now, Harper was more than satisfied. Harper couldn't have constructed that last sentence any better herself.

"Indeed. Alright, I think that's enough talk on stupid Leah," Harper waved a dismissive hand, desperate to change the subject. The less she thought about Leah, the happier she'd be. "How's your family?"

Tiffany flashed an impish grin. " _Great! My little brother got all A's on his report card recently, and Mom's been taking yoga classes."_

The two girls talked on and on for what seemed to be hours, about lots of things. Family, friends, how Tiffany was doing, how Harper's family was doing, and so on. Harper wished time would just stop right here, that way she and Tiffany could keep talking and talking forever. Like Harper said, there was a lot to talk about.

"Have you applied for any jobs since you graduated?" Harper asked.

Surprisingly, Tiffany let out a slightly defeated sigh. That was odd. Tiffany rarely ever sighed or looked worn down. She could see her friend's eyebrows furrowing into a frown. " _Yeah...I've been applying to a whole bunch of places, and I got a few interviews, but nobody's hired me. Seriously, Dad was right. Job hunting is hard. Harder than I ever could have imagined."_

"I'll bet," Harper hadn't applied for any jobs herself, so she wasn't sure how to approach this. Wanting to be supportive, she simply said, "Don't let it get you down. I'm sure there's a super cool job out there with your name on it. Besides, anybody who doesn't hire you is missing out, big time."

It worked. Tiffany laughed, her frown vanishing right away. _"Don't worry. I only just got started, so I'm not giving up just yet. I did find some ads for clothing stores in need of some associates, so I'm gonna try for those!"_ Just then, Tiffany suddenly turned to her left. Harper could hear another faint voice slightly further away, coming from Tiffany's side. _"I'll be right down!"_ She faced Harper again. _"Sorry. Gotta go. Mom made chicken bean casserole today."_

Both Tiffany and Harper scrunched their faces up in disgust. "Ewwww!"

 _"I know, right? Anyway, I'll see you later!"_ Tiffany cried happily. _"Tell your family I say hi! Bye, farm girl!"_ With a wave, the video went black.

"Bye, Tiff."

After the call ended, Harper stayed on her bed for about twenty more minutes, relaxing in the comfort of her new home, allowing herself ample time to recharge. Then she stole a glance at her clock. It was already 5:32 PM. She pulled herself up. "Alright. I guess I better make dinner and feed Reese. It's not much, but it'll be better than nothing."

Reese was already fast asleep on Harper's floor, curled into a perfect comma shape, lost in dreamland as Harper went down into the kitchen yet again. Cats had it easy compared to people.


	5. Getting To Know You

**A/N** : Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to come out. I really wanted to get this out last month, since it was both my birthday (June 25th) and LGBTQ Pride Month (Harper is bisexual). Unfortunately, life kinda got in the way. Plus, this God awful heat and humidity here always sucks all the energy out of me, and often times I can't muster up the energy to even write a single sentence, even when I know how I want certain scenes to go! Oh well! Better late than never, I suppose. By the way, for those of you wondering, "When is Yuzuki gonna show up?" Never fear, as he makes his debut in the very next chapter! I thought I'd take things slow and gradually introduce everyone, especially Harper, before getting into the meaty stuff. Proper build up is essential for a good pay-off as far as basic storytelling goes, and I don't like rushing into things. Anyway, here's the long awaited chapter five! Happy 4th of July!

* * *

Chapter 5: Getting To Know You

 _It hurt to breathe._

 _Something was filling her lungs, burning them from the inside. Something thick and liquid. If she tried to gasp for air, more liquid would flow into her, rendering any kind of breathing impossible._

'What…? What is this…?!'

 _It tasted like chlorine. Water. That was what it was. She reached a hand out. All she could see was a shadow of an arm pulling at something far out of her reach._

 _Everything was pitch black, save for a faint light glowing in the distance. The darkness pressed down on her, intent on keeping her here._

'Let me go! Let me out! I need to get out!' _She made an effort to scream, but her voice was shut off. No sound came out. She could feel her life slipping away._

 _Then, something grabbed her face, pushing her further down. She couldn't make it out in the darkness, but she could feel fingernails digging into the skin on her cheeks and forehead. They cut into her, and it hurt. Hurt so bad. Like needles were piercing her skin. Was this a person, or a monster? In that moment, she realized what was happening._

 _Someone was trying to drown her._

'No! No! NO! Let me go! Don't hurt me!' _She screamed and pleaded, but again, her voice was silent. She flailed her arms and legs, but they were strangely slow and sluggish, like something was trying to keep them from moving. Bubbles and foam blocked her vision._

 _It was cold. The temperature was dropping. Her body turned to ice, and every movement she made sent searing pain through her veins._

 _A voice yelled in the distance. There was nothing distinctive about it, save for it sounding middle-aged and feminine, probably an older woman. The blistering cold was growing unbearable._

" _I can't bear...child like you…!"_

 _Hatred. Venomous, burning anger. The voice was harsh with unrestrained rage._

" _Why can't...be normal...embarrass me...everything...my family...because of you!"_

 _A primal scream overwhelmed Harper's ears. Everything dissolved, disappearing into the wide chasm of never ending darkness. Lonely, bitter, hateful darkness from which there was no escape._

" _Everything is your fault!"_

"NO!" With a high pitched, frightened yelp, Harper's eyes slammed open as she sprang straight up from her bed, her heart thundering painfully in her chest. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and she was sure it wasn't from working on the farm or the weather. She could feel herself shaking like a leaf. Not only that, her eyes were watering. She wiped some stray tears away, but more kept coming.

Then again, this hadn't been the first time she had that nightmare, nor woke up to it feeling so awful like this. Suddenly, everything around her was too much. The blue of the morning sky, the harsh brightness of sunshine illuminating her room, the uncertainty of the day stretching out before her...Harper covered her face with her hands and began to slowly rock back and forth just to get this awful feeling of fear and dread out of her system. Back and forth, back and forth she rocked, allowing herself to process that it was just a nightmare. A bad dream, nothing more. She wasn't there. She wasn't there. Everything in front of her was real: her blanket, her pillows, the bare walls surrounding her, her precious Reese, who immediately jumped onto the foot of the bed.

"Dammit, Doreen!" Harper hissed to herself-or rather, the silhouette from her nightmare. "Are you ever gonna leave me the hell alone?!"

For eighteen years, the nightmare haunted her, and didn't want to leave any time soon. Harper didn't have the nightmare as frequently as she did when she was younger, but it always seemed to sneak up on her whenever she slept, especially if it was after a particularly good day. Actually, it was a nightmare, but it was all too real. A memory from a time long ago that kept coming to the surface. Harper groaned as she balled a hand into a fist and pounded on the side of her bed once. That proved to be satisfying enough, as it helped to push some of the dread out of her.

"Meow?" Reese, sensing Harper's distress, wobbled over to her mistress, rubbing her head against Harper's elbow. Harper took her hands off her face when she saw her little tortoiseshell cat nuzzling her elbow, giving her comfort. She smiled. Reese wanted to make sure she was okay. Touched by the kind gesture, Harper scratched behind Reese's ear.

"Thanks, little girl. Glad to know you're here with me," Harper whispered, her voice no longer as harsh and hoarse like before.

Reese delighted in the attention, pushing her head up against Harper's hand, begging for more pets. Of course, the farm girl was only too happy to heed her request. As she did so, she stole a glance at her clock. 6:46 AM! "Whoa! Did I really sleep this late?" Harper asked aloud. "I must have been tired," She looked out the window. The sun wasn't completely up yet, but there was enough of it to illuminate her room. She slid out of bed.

"I guess I better get to work. No slacking!"

"Meow!" Reese simply laid down on her bed, not minding the sweat-soaked blankets underneath her one bit.

Harper changed her clothes, made a quick breakfast, slid on her sneakers, got the hose ready, and wasted no time drenching her radish crop with water. But even as she got to watering, she spent most of that time rubbing at her bleary eyes every five minutes, and the sleep still wouldn't go away, especially the weird stuff that would get on her eyes when she woke up. During this time, she also got a good look at the land on which she lived. It was big by her standards, and relatively spacious, but it didn't seem big enough to keep a large herd of cows or sheep, and for all she knew, she may need some livestock if she wanted to bring in a steady income. Selling their byproducts could help. She had milked cows before, back in the colleges she went to. But wasn't cheese typically made in big factories, and wasn't the process really long and complicated? Harper shook her head. Cheesemaking was not an option with her limited resources and knowledge. Maybe she could just sell the milk. That seemed to be the best option. Selling crops could only get her so far in the long term.

Sunlight began to shine down on the radishes as Harper continued watering another row. She hoped that the sun wouldn't evaporate the water or burn her crops, especially since she woke up later than usual this morning. Harper made a mental note to water them at about 8:00 PM at night, that way they could still get water and not wind up getting burned by harsh sunlight. She kept her eyes focused solely on watering her crops. She still had two more rows to go, so she was almost done. But her sensitive ears could make out the faint sound of footsteps coming her way, which gradually grew louder and louder.

"Hi, Harper!"

"Huh?" She looked up, her green eyes wide. Standing next to her were none other than Tatsumi and Yaichi, the two little boys from Tsuyukusa. "Oh! It's you guys!" Harper exclaimed, relieved that it was them, rather than the mysterious person in her nightmare. "What are you doing here?"

Tatsumi flashed a pleased grin in her direction, pushing his violet scarf back behind him. "We didn't have too much to do, so we thought we'd come and visit," Tatsumi explained cheerily, his blue eyes beaming like morning dew on the grass.

In contrast, Yaichi said very little, only staring down at her radish crop. "These your crops?"

"Yeah. They're my radishes," Harper said, using her arm to wipe some sweat off her brow. "They're not done yet, though."

"Would you like some help?" Tatsumi asked. "Maybe we can pull weeds for you or something! I'm good at that!"

For a brief moment, Harper thought her ears were playing tricks on her, but she could feel the sincerity oozing from both brothers plain as day. These kids walked all this way from home and are offering to help her out on the farm? A smile spread across her face. How nice these boys were to offer! But at this point, Harper was close to finishing up for the day. There wouldn't be much for them to do. On the other hand...one thing did come to mind.

"Thanks, guys, but I'm actually almost done," Harper declined politely. "I only have two more rows of crops to finish."

Thankfully, neither boy seemed too bothered by it. Tatsumi's smile was still as bright as ever. "Okay then!"

"But...there is one thing," Harper figured this was the best time to broach the subject. "I don't have much right now, and I'm going to need to make some money on a consistent basis. Do you kids know if your neighbors or friends are offering part-time jobs or anything?" It was a long shot, and the idea of asking a couple of kids about jobs seemed ridiculous. But she had to ask someone, and since they were here, this was the most convenient option she had right now.

After Harper finished, Tatsumi flung his scarf behind him. "Yeah, we do! Sometimes people post ads up on the bulletin board in town!" He explained, his clear voice high and cheerful, just like him. "Mom and Dad sometimes need people to help gather the crops, and we've helped Umekichi-san and Omiyo-san a few times, too!"

"They give us money," Yaichi piped in.

Advertisements on a bulletin board...come to think of it, Harper had seen a bulletin board near the teahouse the last time she visited. Perhaps today would be a great day to check it out and see if she could take on some odd jobs. They wouldn't be permanent jobs, but at this point, it was better than nothing. She needed money if she was going to get by, and her crops weren't ready to be sold yet.

"Great! Thanks, kids!" Harper told them before turning around and returning to watering her radishes.

Yaichi gently pulled on Tatsumi's sleeve. "I'm hungry."

"Okay! We'll go and get some dorayaki right now," Tatsumi ruffled his brother's hair-or what little there was of it-with one hand, beaming. "See ya, Harper!" With a smile and a wave, the boys sprinted out onto the crossroads. Harper waved right back, even as water streamed out from the hose, giving her radishes a much needed drink.

"They're nice kids," Harper murmured to herself. To think they'd come all this way just to offer to help, and they barely knew her. As much as Harper liked kids, she always stayed away from them, mostly because their parents would always give her strange looks when she talked to them, like they thought she was going to kidnap them. People were always quick to assume things about others, even people they didn't know at all. Harper always hated that. It helped that Shizu said she could come over and visit the kids any time. Maybe one of these days, she'd take her up on that offer. Yaichi and Tatsumi were proving to be good company. Same with Lisette, and maybe Wayne, just a little bit.

For now, though, it was time she found herself some work.

* * *

"Okay…"

Tatsumi was right. There really was a bulletin board in Tsuyukusa, right near the teahouse, as she remembered. After she finished watering, she went straight to Tsuyukusa, and she scanned the board in question. Many paper advertisements lined the board, but there weren't so much that the papers covered each other up. "Is there anything here I can do?" She asked out loud.

One advertisement caught her eye. The paper was light green. Taking it into her hands, Harper read the advertisement. Umekichi wrote that he needed someone who could help him pull weeds, harvest his many crops, and assist him in bringing them to Ra Man's. It sounded easy enough. But it was the pay that was very tempting. Twenty dollars per hour. If she worked long enough, she could make over a hundred dollars in one day alone! For Harper, that was a lot of money, and it was enough to seal the deal. Of course, her green eyes glanced down to the bottom, which said to meet him at his house. But where was it? She didn't know what his house looked like. Then again, Tsuyukusa was rather small, and there were only two houses on the dirt road. Maybe Umekichi's house was the one right across the street? To confirm this, Harper took the advertisement with her as she walked back down south. Sure enough, as soon as she looked to her left, there was Umekichi, on his knees, hunched over, setting some plants down in a paddy.

In her excitement, Harper bounced right over to him, advertisement in hand. "Mr. Umekichi?" She hoped she was pronouncing his name right.

The elderly man looked up, his narrow eyes taking in Harper's presence. "Ah! Hello there, Harper! It's so good to see you!" Umekichi greeted her warmly, standing up and wiping some dirt off his trousers. "What brings you here today?"

Harper held the paper out for him to see. "I saw you posted this on the board. I thought maybe...if it's okay with you, I could help you out with this?"

Umekichi took the paper and glanced over it. "Oh! I do remember posting this last night!" Immediately, he beamed, stuffing the paper in his pocket. "If you're willing, we can start right away."

Right away? Harper couldn't contain her excitement. "Eeee! Thanks so much!" She squealed, her voice rising much higher than she intended. Mentally scolding herself for her lack of professionalism, Harper cleared her throat and composed herself. Good thing Umekichi didn't seem to mind too much. "Sorry about that. Anyway, what do I need to do?"

Immediately, Harper was put to work. First, she needed to pull out some weeds. Mostly garden weeds and dandelions, and there were a lot of them, many of which were already yellow, like little suns. This was easy. Harper was always on her knees, her favorite overalls smudged with dirt, grunting as she yanked on every weed that she could find. Sometimes, she would pull so hard, she would fall right on her back. But that was alright. Harper didn't mind hard work. It showed that she was actually putting in the effort to get what she wanted, and earning her reward fairly, rather than just sitting around waiting for someone to hand it to her. Besides, who said it was a bad thing to get down and dirty? Umekichi put out a plastic bin for her to put all of the weeds in, which was a big help, since she didn't want to make a big pile of weeds and just leave them out on his field.

She wasn't sure how much time she had spent pulling out weeds, but after a while, she had pulled one last, particularly stubborn dandelion out, throwing it right into the bin. "Whew!" Sweat was beginning to streak her vision, though not to the point of blinding her completely. Her tongue tasted oil on her lips, and she wiped her brow. "Is this the last of it?"

Umekichi scanned the field with a friendly smile. "My, you really pulled a lot of weeds," He laughed ruefully. "Then again, I'm not as spry as I used to be, so I think I let these get a bit out of control," He confessed. Harper could certainly see why. His back was hunched over a little, and she could see his hands were rough and a little stiff in the way they moved, almost sluggish and slow. Did he maybe have arthritis? She didn't know much about it, but one of her college classmates, another elderly man she was close to, had similarly stiff hands that looked a little disjointed. However, from what she had seen of him, and Umekichi right now, that never stopped him from working hard.

"Thank you very much, Harper. This is a big help."

Harper averted his gaze, cheeks flushing pink from the praise. "Oh, it's no biggie. So I need to pull out your crops next, right?"

"Yes," Umekichi said. "I have another field further down, and there's a lot of turnips and eggplants that need to be pulled."

It didn't surprise Harper that the fields in question were pretty big, almost stretching to the very end of the street. But Harper could only grin with pride. This meant she could do more work and get more pay. She made sure to only pull out the crops that were absolutely, completely ripe. Eggplants' flesh had to be hard and shiny, and turnips had to be at least two inches in diameter. Harper had keen eyes, and thanks to having done this plenty of times before, she knew which ones to pick and which ones had to be left alone. Harper harvested the crops one by one, putting them all into baskets that Umekichi had put out. The amount of crops they pulled wound up filling each basket whole, to the point of making them overflow just a little bit. With every step she walked, her legs steadily turned heavy, like someone put cinder blocks in them, and her arms were growing sore as well. But that was par for the course for farming. Harper didn't complain one bit, even as piles of turnips threatened to squash her arms under their weight.

"Whew!" Finally, Harper put the last of the turnips into another basket. "I think that's the last of it!" Her lungs burned with every breath she inhaled. But unlike what happened this morning, this was the result of hard, honest work, and having her chest hurt a bit was well worth it.

Umekichi inspected the crops they gathered, taking note of their color and shape. "Looks like we had a good harvest," Umekichi said to himself, smiling with pride.

Harper pulled off her work gloves, allowing her hands some breathing room. "So what do you plan on doing with the crops?" She asked.

"Well, I have to bring these over to Ra Man's," Umekichi explained. "I sell all of my crops to the proprietor, and he in turn sells them to the public."

That made sense. Farmers didn't just sit around on their laurels once they make good harvests, and shop owners didn't just magically create their own products out of thin air. One question did poke at Harper's mind. "How exactly are we going to bring them to Ra Man's?" Harper asked. "Do we just put them in a cart and deliver it there ourselves, or do you hire someone to put them in a truck and have them do it?"

Umekichi pulled on his sleeve. "We're going to bring them to Ra Man's ourselves."

As it turned out, Umekichi did own two wooden carts for the sole purpose of delivering crops to Ra Man's all on his own. They were large enough to carry a whole mountain of crops, though they barely reached past his waist in terms of height. Since they had a particularly large crop, Umekichi suggested that he push one cart and Harper push the other. He put eggplants in his cart, and Harper chose to carry the turnips, which was good in that the vegetables wouldn't get mixed up. Thankfully for Harper, even though her arms were still sore, pushing the wooden cart was much easier on her than carrying so many turnips all at once. It helped that Ra Man's was relatively close by on foot, only about a short, ten minute walk.

When they approached the shop, they saw two people conversing near the entrance. One was an elderly man, with black hair, a curly mustache, and a goatee that curled at the ends, wearing a jade green kimono, a black haori with green stripes going across it, and black geta sandals. The other was a much younger man, close to her age, maybe even a little younger, with spiky chestnut hair, matching eyes, and with more pep in his step. His clothes were much more colorful: an orange shirt, a lime green haori, black pants, grey blue socks, and black sandals. The younger man's arms were gesticulating in all different directions, and the older man kept watching them pensively.

"Good afternoon to you both!" Umekichi greeted them as soon as he pulled up.

Both men turned right around. The younger one was the first to make conversation. "Hey there, Umekichi-san! Working hard today, huh?" He exclaimed, his clear voice very distinctly matching a young man in his early twenties.

The older man crossed his arms. "Is this your new shipment of crops? Excellent," He said, nodding as he glanced over the vegetable carts. "Thank you for your service as always, Umekichi-san."

It was here that Harper could feel the older man gazing at her. She only stole the slightest glance at his face, but it was stone-like and austere, his stare almost cold, like he was sizing her up. His dark eyes burned at her very soul, and she really didn't like how uncomfortable she was feeling right now. He definitely looked like an overly uptight, strict, no-nonsense kind of man, and one who was not to be crossed in any way. Oh, she had seen his type before, and none of them were very nice people. Averting her gaze, she kept her eyes focused on Umekichi's haori.

"Now who might this girl be?" The old man asked.

"Oh. I don't believe you've met Harper yet," Umekichi introduced her to them. "This is Harper Maxwell. She's Frank's relative, and she just moved into the farm south of the crossroads. She's doing some part-time work for me right now. Harper, this is the proprietor of Ra Man's, Shirogane Moriya, and his employee, Higashino Hinata."

"Nice...to meet you…" Harper could feel her vocal chords shutting down, but she did manage to choke out a greeting. Inside, she just wanted to run back to the farm. Just knowing this stern man was looking at her in that manner was making her feel very exposed.

"Hi there!" The younger man, Hinata, greeted her with a smile and a wave. "It's good to meet you, too! I'm a merchant here at Ra Man's wholesalers, and Moriya-san's my boss. Hey, you and I actually look about the same age!" He cajoled, beaming.

Harper simply waved back at him silently. Still, she couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling she got from being near Moriya.

"A farmer at your age, hm? You're getting started awfully young," Moriya pointed out. "I'm Moriya, the owner of Ra Man's. A pleasure," He bent down in a low bow.

"Yeah. Likewise," Harper sheepishly bowed back. Chills ran down her spine. For what it was worth, she was glad he didn't ask to shake her hand.

Much to her relief, the visit didn't last very long. She and Umekichi sold the vegetables to Moriya, and once that was done, they made their way back to the Fujiwara house. During the walk, she took the time to calm herself down and get herself back together. One good way of calming herself down was looking at the scenery around her. Everything around her was lush and green, brimming with life, and the air was crisp with a grassy aroma. Nature's beauty was easy to admire, especially when the rest of the world got too overwhelming to handle.

"Here you are, Harper," Umekichi's voice pulled her out of her reverie. She looked down and saw that his hand was extended towards her. In his hand was a pile of bills. Harper gingerly took the money out of Umekichi's hand and counted it.

"Whoa!" Her mouth fell agape when she finished counting. "Ninety bucks?!" She counted her pay three more times. Four twenty dollar bills and one ten dollar bill. Four twenties made eighty, and if she added ten, it came to ninety. Basic math. Even so, Harper was sure she only worked for a few hours, not nearly enough to earn this amount. "Is...Is this okay? I mean...I don't think I worked all that long, much less enough to make this much…"

Umekichi waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need to be so modest, Harper," He reassured her, smiling with pride. "You've been a great help today, so you earned it. I don't think my wife and I could have delivered those crops by ourselves, so don't feel like you don't deserve it."

Feeling her own lips curve upward, a burst of pride sprouted in Harper's heart. Her first part-time job, and she had earned so much! Best of all, Umekichi seemed to really appreciate her efforts. "Thank you so much, sir! I'm glad to have been able to be of some help!"

It was here that Omiyo came ambling out of the house, having overheard their conversation. Her friendly smile pushed her cheeks upward, adding more skin folds to her face, already a whirlpool of wrinkles. "You've worked hard today, Harper," She said, her voice low and warm. "I'm sure you're probably tired. Would you like to have some dinner with us? I already put it out, so it's hot and ready for you."

Dinner? With them? Harper's eyes shrunk. Omiyo actually went out of her way to make food for her, someone she barely knew? As much as she wanted to accept her offer, there was a lot to consider. She didn't want to impose on them, and she was tired and wanted to go home and cuddle with Reese. On the other hand, her arms and legs were sore, so she didn't feel like doing any cooking herself. Plus, it'd be rude to reject her offer. It didn't help that in that moment, her stomach decided to make the decision for her by letting out an undignified rumble.

"I...I guess that's a yes. I'll take you up on that."

Omiyo clasped her hands together. "Wonderful! Come on inside, dearie," She motioned towards her house.

When Harper went inside, she could immediately tell that their house was much different than her own, and Frank's house. The majority of the house had wooden flooring, but one side of it was covered with green, moss-colored tatami mats. In the far left corner of the house, two big, fluffy red futons were folded into neat piles, with the pillows placed right next to them, partly hidden by two wiry partitions. Harper remembered they were called privacy screens, but this was the first time she had seen them in person. Some wooden shelves had been built into the walls, with various objects placed on top of them, like kokeshi dolls, dried leaves, books, and other odds and ends. All along the kitchen were a variety of Japanese cookware that she didn't recognize. Some she did, such as a rice barrel, a cast iron teapot, earthenware pots, and clay tea cups that didn't have any handles on them. Three plates sat on the dining room table, with slices of deep fried meat, some shredded pieces of lettuce, and a small dollop of white rice on them. Harper could tell which plate was hers right away: the one that had a regular spoon and fork next to it. The other two had chopsticks next to them.

She sat down before taking a fork into her hand. "What's this? It looks like chicken," Harper asked.

"This is called tonkatsu," Omiyo explained. "It's breaded and deep fried pork cutlet. I wasn't sure if you wanted sauce on yours or not, so I didn't make any sauce."

Harper shook her head. "That's fine," She said, taking a piece of the pork cutlet into her mouth. It was crunchy, and she could feel the bread crumbs dancing around on her tongue, but the white parts were tender and soft. "Mmmm! This is good!"

"We're glad you like it, Harper," Umekichi said.

Dinner was a short, peaceful affair. Harper didn't do much except eat, and even though her meal was much smaller than she was used to, she felt fulfilled and satisfied nonetheless. Harper found herself glad she accepted their offer to spend dinner with them. They were a nice, friendly, elderly couple, and they went out of her way to make her feel welcome, but they weren't overly enthusiastic or skeevy in doing so. They let Harper go about things at her own pace, just the way she liked it, and they didn't try to make her do things she didn't want to, like shake their hands or show them some of the things she liked to do. They mostly talked about how they heard about her from Frank, and they knew him because he came to Tsuyukusa sometimes to get some seeds and animals sometimes. He had even taken the time to help them fix the little bridges going across the creek.

"Your uncle is very good at fixing things up, I can tell you that," Umekichi told her, waving his chopsticks around. "I always worried that those bridges might break underneath our feet, and with my wife being as frail as she is now, I don't know what I'd do if she fell through them and into the creek."

"Oh, come now!" Omiyo gently chided. "I may not be as spry as I used to be, but you make it seem like I'll fall over if I so much as walk."

Harper couldn't hold back a chuckle. "You're right about Uncle Frank," Harper agreed. "This one time, back when my family and I lived in Misselthwaite, part of our back patio got destroyed when we had this big storm. My dad called a bunch of repairmen, but none of them knew squat about how to fix wooden patios. When he told Uncle Frank about it, he offered to come visit and work on it all by himself. I even offered to help him out, and it was good as new."

The joyful memory returned to her mind as she told the story. Her ten-year-old self watching as her uncle and father worked with every wooden plank they had. Helping measure the planks with measuring tape and keeping track of how long they were. Running back and forth from the kitchen to the backyard to bring things over to them, like nails, hammers, or bottles of water, since it was a very hot summer day and they needed to keep themselves hydrated. Both Frank and her father paying her two twenty dollar bills for her help, and the overwhelming feeling of pride that swallowed her up when they smiled at her and thanked her for all that she did for them. It had been the best feeling in the whole wide world, having earned actual money by working on a big job and helping out. She had done it before, just without getting paid for it, but young Harper was still over the moon nonetheless.

As she finished her meal, something caught her eye. A picture frame sat on one of the shelves on the other side of the room. Curious, Harper stood up and walked over to the framed photograph. It showed Umekichi and Omiyo, along with another person standing in between them. All three of them had bright, merry smiles on their faces. The third person in question had long, teal hair tied into a ponytail with a red string. They wore a light blue haori with white wavy swirl designs on the sleeves over a hakama consisting of a mossy green shirt, light teal trousers, and black shoes. They were significantly younger than the elderly couple, but Harper couldn't quite guess their age. Late high school? Early twenties? The person looked quite young, it was hard to tell. For all she knew, they might be in their late twenties or something of that nature. Still, Harper smiled at the photograph.

"Is this your granddaughter? Or daughter, maybe?" Harper asked. "She's really pretty."

Taking notice of her interest in the photograph, Omiyo got up and walked next to her. "Oh, him? That's our grandson."

Grand _son_?!

Harper felt as though an arrow shot through her mind, splitting it right in half and leaving nothing behind. "Wait. That's a guy?" The words spilled out before she could stop herself from saying them. Their grandchild was a man? He had such a feminine appearance, what with his ponytail, his beautiful choice of dress, and his smooth facial features. Harper scolded herself for having gotten his gender wrong.

"Sorry! I had no idea!"

Omiyo chuckled. "It's alright, dear. You're not the first person to have mistaken Yuzuki for a woman," She told her reassuringly.

"Yuzuki? Is that his name?"

"Yes. Fujiwara Yuzuki."

Yuzuki...it had a nice ring to it. It seamlessly flowed from one syllable to the next, and she could say it without tripping over her tongue. Omiyo continued on. "This was taken just a couple years ago. We went on a trip to Lake Erie to see the sights and go for a hike. It was wonderful, and he just loved it there."

"I bet it must have been nice," Harper said. "Where is he now? Does he live on his own?"

"Well…" Omiyo's smile curled into a frown. "He's at a medicinal spa as of right now," She explained. "He's never had the best constitution, and he's been in and out of hospitals his whole life."

Harper felt her heart sink. If he's been in and out of hospitals, for his entire life no less, whatever he's sick with must be serious. What exactly did he have? Cancer? HIV? An autoimmune disease? Some rare illness nobody could identify? She wanted to ask, but decided against it, figuring it'd be rude.

"I see. I didn't know," Harper whispered. "Sorry if I was insensitive."

"Oh, no! You couldn't have known, dearie," Once again, Omiyo was quick to reassure her otherwise. "Lately, he's been doing very well, but his doctors figured it'd be best to take some extra precautions. His health is much better now than it had been when he was younger, so he's actually come a long way," Her smile returned as she shot a fond glance towards the framed picture. "I hope he comes home soon so you can meet him. He's a fine young gentleman, and the apple of our eye."

"I bet he is."

* * *

Once dinner was finished, Harper thanked the Fujiwaras for their kindness and galloped back home. Yes, galloped, as she was too eager to keep all of her happiness inside. She worked hard at her first part-time job, made a lot of money (By her standards, at least. She made a mental note to save it for anything important she might need later), and made some potential new friends. As she galloped down the dirt road, she cheered out loud and flapped her hands to the beating of her heart and didn't feel as tired as before. It helped that the sky was turning a luscious orange, dappled with streaks of clouds dyed pink and blue that brushed against the silhouetted trees. Today had been a wonderful day.

"Well! Someone's bright eyed and bushy tailed this evenin'!" Frank's familiar, booming drawl pulled Harper out of her reverie. She stopped in her tracks, taking in his unexpected presence.

"Oh! Uncle Frank! I didn't see you there!" Suddenly sheepish, Harper averted her gaze, keeping it focused on the grass beneath her. "What's up?"

Noticing the change in Harper's demeanor, Frank adjusted his straw hat. "Not much. Just thought I'd take a stroll. Sure is nice today."

"It sure is."

"What's got you all happy and bright-eyed? No need to be embarrassed," Frank told her. "I don't mind seein' you all happy and jumpin' around like a horse in a meadow."

"It's...nothing really," Even though her uncle knew about her stims, and never made her feel ashamed of them or felt the need to make her stop, she still couldn't help but turn red knowing that he saw her galloping. "This elderly couple in Tsuyukusa needed some part-timers for a job, and I applied. I helped them out, they paid me, and they treated me to dinner afterward."

Immediately, Frank's face lit up. "Well, ain't that nice! You talkin' about the Fujiwaras, right? They're nice old folks right there," He exclaimed sincerely, bending his leg upward to adjust the rim of his boot a bit. "Ol' Umekichi has bailed me outta many a jam, and he's been real good to me. Then again…" Frank put a hand on his beard, turning pensive. "Your father has told me you seem to get along better with older people than kids yer own age, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."

"You're right about that," Harper agreed.

She kind of knew the subject of her choice in friends would come up for comment. Ever since high school, Harper always found herself gravitating towards people who were older than her for friendship, rather than kids her own age. Not that she didn't want friends her own age, as she had a few, but many people she went to high school with weren't exactly...pleasant, to but it mildly. It just so happened that in school, she shared classes with some juniors and seniors who liked many of the same things she did, and Harper didn't mind that they were older than her. Even in college, many of her classmates were much older than she was, with some being elderly-having had kids of their own-and they were often the nicest people she had ever met. Who said that an elderly person and a young person weren't allowed to just be friends?

"Anyway, how's the farm coming along?" Frank asked. "Your crops growin'?"

"Yeah," Harper answered. "I figured I'd start with radishes again like last time. They grow pretty quick, so I figured I can make some money off them first."

Frank scratched his side before continuing on. "That's good. If you don't mind, I'd suggest planting some other stuff too, like tomatoes and corn. Those can really turn a good profit, even if they don't grow as fast as radishes do," He advised. "Summer's a real good time to plant some hardy crops, and stickin' to just one crop can only get you so far."

Harper nodded. "Yes, I know," She had planted tomatoes and corn before, just not in huge droves. Come to think of it, she remembered still having some tomato seeds she bought at the store just before her father announced that they were moving again. She wondered if she had brought them with her. If she did, maybe now would be a good time to plant them.

Satisfied, Frank put a firm hand on Harper's shoulder. "It's good to see you, kid. I'm glad yer doin' as well as you are. Daryl oughta be proud of you," Frank told her without any trace of hesitation whatsoever. Harper's face turned red again, mostly because she could feel the pride coming from her uncle just from his hand alone. "I'm gonna get goin' now. You take care, okay?" With that, he turned on his boot and walked back towards his farm.

"Alright! See ya later!" Harper waved as she watched her uncle disappear past the gate leading to Westown.

Right afterward, she pulled her phone out. The time read 6:45 PM. "Whoa! It's this late already?!" She yelped, surprised at how much time had passed. Even so, she had accomplished a lot today, so maybe it wasn't a bad thing that it had gotten so late. She still had time to do other things. Rolling up her sleeves, Harper made her way back towards her farm. "I better give Reese her dinner. She's probably starving by now."

Another good day was coming to a close, and Harper spent it feeding Reese, playing some games, taking a shower, and checking on her crops. She was sure she'd have a good night's sleep tonight.

She could only hope that nightmare-that awful memory from the past-wouldn't try to sneak in and ruin it for her again.


	6. One Fateful Summer Day

Chapter 6: One Fateful Summer Day

Spring had passed, and by the last week of May, there was a distinct but pleasant warmth in the air. But the end of spring meant more than just the end of spring flowers and cool air. It meant summer, and while the season of sunshine and clear ocean waters did have its perks, it also had its fair share of problems as well. Summer brought lots of things with it that Harper absolutely hated. Bugs, namely mosquitoes, stink bugs, and flies, would always be out and about in the air, sucking blood or eating farmers' hard grown crops. Oppressive heat that would often reach one hundred degrees, complete with thick, toasty humidity that made Harper feel like she was being sucked dry by a million leeches and ticks, leaving her with no energy to do anything. Thankfully, even though it was early June as of right now, the heat in the air was warm, but pleasant and tolerable enough, so she could go outside and work without feeling like she was walking inside a hot oven.

Harper dropped a large bag of radishes into the shipping box, smiling as the pile of reddish purple vegetables made thumping sounds upon making contact with the wood. Another day, another good harvest. Since moving here back in April, Harper managed to grow some good crops, though not without a few setbacks, like crops that wilted before they could grow, or animals such as moles or deer eating some of them, mostly the leaves. But they didn't come by too often, so for the most part, Harper was able to manage just fine, along with doing part-time jobs every day. Sweat dampened her forehead, fogging up her sunglasses, even as she closed the box and folded the bag up.

"Goodness," Harper pulled her sunglasses off to wipe the sweat off her nose. "It's only eight and I'm already sweating. Oh well," She told herself after pulling the hose out. "Breaking a sweat means you've worked hard, so it's always worth it. I better water the tomatoes and sweet potatoes now."

Over the past couple months, Harper planted some more crops, figuring it'd be best to branch out a bit. Selling just radishes could only get her so far, so she decided to buy some tomato and sweet potato seeds. They would take longer to grow, but they turned a good profit when well taken care of. She had grown tomatoes before, so she knew her way around them. She had only grown sweet potatoes a few times in her life, and she hoped no moles or groundhogs would eat them. This had happened a lot in her previous attempts at doing so. Harper took her time in watering the new shoots growing from the ground, taking care to make sure they were as hydrated as possible. Once that was done, she glanced over at the fencepost. A trail of morning glory vines were climbing up from the soil, only halfway up.

"Oh! They really are growing!" Harper exclaimed, kneeling down to get a better look. The vines had grown several inches since the last time she checked on them. She hoped that by the end of July, she'd see those vines dotted with her favorite azure blooms. Her hands flapped up and down on their own in excitement, along with pushing the limp tiredness out of her wrists.

"I hope you bloom soon," She whispered softly, already looking forward to the day her favorite flowers would open up their blue blossoms.

Speaking of flowers… "I wonder what Lisette's up to?" She wondered aloud. Today was Tuesday, so that meant Thousand Bouquets would be closed today. But would Lisette mind if Harper came by the store just to hang out for a while? The store was technically her house, after all.

"Maybe I'll just stop by and see how she's doing," Harper decided. Her work was pretty much done for today, and she didn't have any big plans, so why not?

With nothing else to do right now, she went right to Lisette's house. As she expected, Thousand Bouquets was closed, as indicated by the sign on her front window. But the front door was wide open. Probably in case someone needed her help or just wanted to drop in and say hi. Hoping this was safe to do, Harper poked her head inside. All of Lisette's flowers were in their assigned places, beautifully cared for like usual, but Lisette herself was nowhere in sight.

"Hello? Lisette?" Harper walked further inside. "You around?" Who was she kidding? If Lisette wasn't here, she wouldn't leave her door open like this. Any person who would want to go out would close their door and lock it. When this thought passed her mind, she could make out the sound of a faint humming coming from upstairs. Harper almost went up, but stopped the second her foot got on the very first step.

' _Wait, isn't this technically breaking and entering?!'_ When Harper realized what she was doing, her mind suddenly began running a million miles an hour. _'Here I am just walking into her house unannounced and about to walk into what might be her room! Isn't this an invasion of privacy?!'_ Harper wished she had stopped to think about this before coming here. One of her feet began shaking up and down all by itself. Stop, Harper mentally told herself. There's no need to worry so much about this. Her foot shook faster, reminding her to come back to herself.

Taking in a deep breath, Harper relaxed before walking up the stairs. If Lisette told her to leave, Harper would leave without question. She was going into her room, after all. The humming grew louder. She finally reached the top, and there was Lisette, sitting at a table, with a big, thick book in her hands. Harper krept closer, leaning down to look at the title. _Hans Christian Andersen's Classic Fairy Tales Collection_ , it read in bright, gold lettering.

' _Huh. I didn't know she liked fairy tales,'_ Harper thought, a little taken aback by the revelation. She didn't think Lisette was the type to like reading fairy tales. Then again, here she was, reading the book with a content look on her face, humming a merry tune. Harper didn't want to interrupt.

"Poor little mermaid!" Lisette suddenly exclaimed with melodramatic flourish. "Her sisters tell her to kill the prince and save herself, but she let herself turn into foam! How tragically romantic!" She held the open book to her chest, wistfully looking up at the ceiling with gleaming eyes.

"Uhh...Lisette?"

"Eh?!" Lisette whirled around, eyes wide with shock from the sudden voice. She almost dropped her book, had she not caught it in time. "Harper?! Did...did you hear that just now?" Her flustered face turned red a hilton daisy.

Harper backed away two steps, a little cowed by the girl's surprise. "Yeah. Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Ooooh…" Lisette frowned, putting her book down on the table. "To think that somebody caught me talking to myself…"

"It's okay! I talk to myself all the time!" Harper reassured her rather sheepishly. It was true that Harper talked to herself often, mostly quoting her favorite media or putting her thoughts into vocalization, either to calm herself down or just get lost in her excitement.

But even with her reassurance, Lisette still averted her friend's gaze, clearly embarrassed. "I'm sorry! I must have sounded so crazy, right?"

Harper shook her head. "Nah, I've heard crazier. You're good."

"It's just...whenever I read a book, I get so completely absorbed in it," Lisette said, the flush in her face finally fading a little bit.

"I'm like that too!" Harper announced. "But only with books I really really like, so don't worry about it! Also, for what it's worth, I like Andersen's stories as well."

Immediately, Lisette's eyes lit back up. "Really? You do?" She glanced back at her book, her fingers intertwining and fiddling with one another. "To be honest...I...tend to like simple, cute stories-like fairy tales-over the stuff that adults usually read.

"Nothin' wrong with that or being an Andersen fan!" Harper retorted, grinning impishly. "I like his Wild Swans story the best!"

Not long after, the two girls sat down and talked about Lisette's Andersen collection and various stories for a while. It didn't even occur to Lisette to ask what Harper was even doing here in the first place. Still, Harper couldn't help but feel giddy as she sat down and talked with Lisette, her heart warmed by the enthusiastic way she talked about Andersen's stories. The little mermaid and her plight with the prince, the little match girl's hard life full of suffering and sorrow, the ugly duckling's long, painful quest for acceptance...it seemed like the discussion had gone on for hours as far as the two women were concerned. It helped that Harper wound up having a lot in common with Lisette. Like her, she also wasn't very fond of books aimed at adults, namely romances and horror stories. Her mother had read plenty of stupid, trashy romance novels for the fun of it, which was fine, but Harper just couldn't get into them. The stories were often very formulaic, the characters whiny and annoying, and a lot of the drama and writing to be very forced and inauthentic. She could definitely see why Lisette was averse to reading books in her demographic.

"Oh! Uhh...just so you know," Harper finally found an opportunity to interject when Lisette stopped talking for a moment. "I apologize for dropping here unannounced. I was done with my work and I thought I'd stop by and ask if you wanted to hang out. But I wasn't sure since your door was open and I thought I was inadvertently breaking into your house, and…"

Lisette assuaged Harper's worries with just one shake of her head. "It's quite alright. Whenever my door is open, everyone is welcome to come in. Except when it's closed, of course," She told her. "I'm happy you decided to stop by."

Harper breathed a sigh of relief. Lisette wasn't angry! Thank goodness for that. Shortly after, she saw a thin green book right next to the Andersen collection. "What's that one?" Harper asked.

"Oh. This?" Lisette sheepishly picked the book up, holding it to her face as though she were protecting herself with it. The book's cover showed a princess and a knight with a sword in hand, both smiling as they walked over a meadow near a castle. _The Princess, The Knight, and the Cursed Rose_ , the title read in similar glossy lettering, only the letters were silver instead of gold. "This is my favorite picture book ever. I read it all the time."

"What's it about?"

"You really want to know? It's...rather childish."

"Try me."

The blonde woman smiled. "Alright, I'll tell you the abridged version."

The story was about a princess and a knight who had feelings for each other, but had to keep them secret due to their different social standings. An evil witch, jealous of the princess's beauty, snuck into the princess's castle gardens and placed a curse on a single rose. At one point, the princess touched the rose, thorns pricking her fingers, and found herself overcome with terrible pain all through her body. The witch's curse deigned that anyone whose fingers pricked the rose was to die a slow, painful death. Having learned of this scheme, the knight embarked on a quest to defeat her. He emerged victorious and learned how to lift the curse, but the witch said that the thorn in the princess's finger can only be removed by her one true love. The king called forth all the princes of the land in an effort to have them take out the thorn, but none were successful. Unable to watch her suffer anymore, the knight came forward and pulled the thorn out with no effort at all. The princess was healed, they married, happily ever after.

"I'm getting _Snow White_ and _Sleeping Beauty_ flashbacks from that story," Harper quipped as soon as Lisette finished talking about the book.

Lisette folded her hands together, closing her eyes. "I know it's just a story, but every time I read it, my chest tightens up," She said in a wistful, faraway voice. "The fact that two star-crossed lovers were able to find true love seems like such a miracle, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I can see that."

The blonde girl's smile faded soon after. "Umm...Harper? I can't imagine you'd be the type to spread rumors, but…" She held a finger to her lips. "Would you mind keeping this a secret between us?"

Harper grinned. "Sure! Wild horses wouldn't be able to drag it out of me, so you can rest assured!" She announced brightly, holding a flat hand over her eyebrow like a soldier saluting her commanding officer. The last thing she wanted to do was divulge someone's secret, especially if it was something important. Then again, she was quite familiar with the pain of having her secrets exposed against her will.

Relieved, Lisette sat back down. "I'm glad. I know it's more acceptable for adults to like children's media nowadays...but still, a grown woman like me getting all giddy over reading a picture book for children…"

She had a point. Lisette was surely in her twenties, just like Harper. Picture books for children and toddlers weren't exactly the kind of things adults were known to read. But if Lisette liked them, then who was Harper to tell her otherwise? It wasn't like Lisette had done something bad or creepy. She could see the way Lisette folded her hands together and hunched into herself, like she wanted to hide. Harper knew that feeling all too well, wanting to indulge in what you love but knowing that people would make fun of you for liking something outside of your age range or demographic. People's attitudes about that had changed over the years, so things are much better now, but there were still people who were convinced adults who liked children's media were freaks who should be wiped off the face of the planet. No way was Harper going to let Lisette feel alone.

"Lisette, you're talking to a girl who still likes kids cartoons and Disney movies and video games," Harper told her empathetically, pointing to herself with pride. "Oh, and I still sleep with a blanket and a stuffed animal."

That last statement made a laugh escape from Lisette's lips. Harper could only smile in return, happy that Lisette's laughter was the merry kind, not the scornful kind. "I honestly had no idea," Lisette said. "Even so, it's nice to know someone who's been in your shoes."

"Same here...in regards to books and TV, that is," Harper agreed. Then, a thought entered her mind. Perhaps it'd be safe to tell Lisette another secret? A part of her protested the idea, telling her that she could very well reject her if Lisette was to know about it? On the other hand, another part of her told her it'd be better if it was out in the open, with no strings attached.

Harper decided on the latter option. "Besides, I'm autistic, so I've had my fair share of encounters with overly judgmental people myself," She told her.

There, it was out in the open. Harper mentally prepared for herself for a number of potential reactions: Disgust, disillusionment, pity, sympathy, indifference...instead, Lisette simply cocked her head to one side, more curious than anything.

"Oh! I had suspected you were," Lisette mentioned in a casual tone. "But I wasn't sure how to bring it up without coming off as rude."

"Yeah. That's kind of the reason why I do stuff like spin around and flap my hands when I'm super excited and stuff."

"That's what I figured. I had a few friends in high school who are autistic, so I guess I happened to pick up on those details," Lisette explained calmly, albeit still in her cheery manner. "But...I do admit, there's still a lot about it I don't understand. If you don't mind me asking, what's autism actually like? For you, that is?"

For a brief moment, Harper found herself speechless. Hardly anyone she ever knew had ever asked that question before. Although she had met plenty of people who were genuinely nice and understanding upon learning about her autism, there was no shortage of people telling her what they themselves _thought_ autism was. Most of what people thought autism was consisted of plenty of stereotypes such as autistic people not having empathy or a sense of humor, constantly throwing tantrums if they don't get their way, supposedly ruining the lives of their poor parents and leeching off of them like parasites, all those things that Harper knew were not only rude, but not even remotely true. Worst of all, some would talk to her like she was three years old despite being an adult, like they thought she was too stupid or brain damaged to understand anything. Good thing Lisette wasn't like that at all. That alone pretty much sold Harper on the idea of becoming better friends with her.

"It's kind of hard to explain in just one sentence," Harper began, adjusting her glasses a bit, as one of the lenses was digging underneath the skin of her eye. "But if I really had to describe it...it's kind of like having your senses turned up to the highest volume possible all the time, and in some ways kind of like living life in a different language. I can't really relax because even when I think I've gotten everything down, I'm using all parts of my brain all the time and it's easy for me to be mentally exhausted."

Harper went on to tell Lisette more about it; her sensitivity to various sounds, tastes, and textures, her aversion to shaking people's hands and meeting their eyes, and her stims. Lisette listened quietly, never interrupting her. In fact, Harper saw her crack a smile a few times as she explained everything to her. When Harper finished, Lisette could only close her book.

"I admit, there's still a lot I don't really get...But I understand it a lot more now than I did, so I'm happy you feel you can trust me enough to talk to me about it," She told her.

Sheepishly, Harper averted her gaze. "It's not that big a deal, really. Besides, I don't see why we can't be friends. If that's alright with you, that is…"

"I thought we were already friends, Harper. But nevertheless, I definitely enjoy hanging out with you," Lisette reassured. "Golly! We should do this more often!"

A pleasant warmth lurched in Harper's heart. She made a friend! Her first friend since she moved, and one who was her own age! She could already picture herself and Lisette hanging out at each other's houses, watching movies, discussing their favorite books, talking to each other about their problems...she found herself kicking her legs in her bliss.

"Indeed we should!"

"By the way, how are your morning glories?"

Harper and Lisette chatted happily for another while afterward. Unfortunately, the time for them to part came too quickly, as Lisette needed to visit the nearby doctor for an appointment. Nothing major, just a check-up, she had told Harper. The girls waved goodbye as they left Lisette's house. But when Harper made it to the crossroads, she found herself jumping up and down, spinning around like a top, and flapping her hands in sheer delight, unable to contain her happiness for a minute longer. Her first friend since she moved here in January...Harper never did get used to the bliss that came out of making friends.

Oh yes. She was definitely going to make time to hang out with Lisette more often.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Harper, Lisette wasn't the only friend she was going to make. Come late June, someone else had entered her life.

"Uuuuuugh!" Harper groaned, sitting down on a big stump in the crossroads. Her legs and arms felt like jelly from working on the farm all morning. It was only 85 degrees out, but the air was thick with humidity, and Harper was drowning in sweat. She had only worked on her fields for about four hours, and she was already tired. The second she sat down, she pulled out a bottle of water from her pocket and gulped it right down, reveling in the ice cold liquid that soothed her dry throat.

"I guess no matter where I go, summer's always gonna be a bitch to put up with," She mused as she finished drinking. Of course, water could only do so much. Her bangs were soaked, sticking to her forehead like glue, and even though she made sure to wear a sleeveless shirt and shorts, her clothes still felt heavy on her body. It didn't help that there was no air conditioning in her house yet, so she had no way to be completely cool inside. "If Dad ever decides to visit, I'm gonna ask if we can buy an air conditioner. There's gotta be some place around here that sells them."

Still parched from the day's work and the oppressive heat, Harper took another big sip of water. But as she looked down, something glinted in the sunlight about a few feet away. "Huh?" Harper scanned the grass in the crossroads and found something out of place. Something pink. What was that? A mushroom, maybe? Harper stood up and walked closer, kneeling down to get a better look. Whatever it was, it wasn't a plant. It looked hard and shiny. Picking it up, Harper took the item into her hands.

"Wow!" Harper beamed, her green eyes wide as saucers. In her hands was a tiny, silver, Japanese-style comb, just a little smaller than her palm, with big, pink roses on it that sparkled in the sunlight. Little green leaves occasionally popped out from the corners, and they were soft to the touch. Probably satin, Harper assumed. "This is so pretty! I wonder how this thing got here?"

It wasn't every day one randomly found a hair ornament in the middle of the grass. Maybe someone dropped it or threw it away? The ornament was light in her hands. What could she do? As far as Harper knew, there wasn't a lost and found place where she could drop this off, and she didn't know where the police station was. Knowing her options were limited, Harper shrugged and put it in her pocket.

"I'll ask around and see if anyone knows who this belongs to," Harper decided. "Oh! I forgot to clean Reese's litter box!"

Her previous lethargy forgotten, Harper raced back home to clean her cat's litter box, along with a few other things like leave her phone on the charger and make a peanut butter sandwich. Once she was finished, she was back on the crossroads.

"I should probably get a souvenir for Tiff and Orson some time," Harper said to herself. "I wonder if he'd like one of those metal bookmarks I saw the other day?"

She had already gotten a nice souvenir for Tiffany just the other day-a wooden swan sculpture, and Tiffany's favorite animal was the swan. But she hadn't sent it out yet and wasn't planning to do so until she got souvenirs for everyone else. Not only that, she didn't have any cardboard boxes or shipping tape. She made a mental note to stop by Postino later in the week and get some. Surely they had some, what with it being a post office and all. Harper was so lost in her thoughts that she barely registered someone else's presence until she heard a voice just nearby.

"Hello? Excuse me, miss!"

A voice she didn't recognize called out to her. She turned around, finding herself face to face with another person. Someone with teal hair in a ponytail, wearing a light blue cardigan, an olive green shirt, and darker teal hakama pants.

Wait...Harper was struck with deja vu. He looked...familiar.

"Might I borrow a moment of your time?" He asked politely, in a low, kind voice.

"Sure. What is it?"

"I lost something of mine recently," The man told her, his masculine voice betraying his admittedly feminine appearance. "You didn't happen to see a silver comb with pink roses on it around here, did you?"

A silver comb. Pink roses. The pieces came right together, and Harper figured it out right away.

"Oh! Hang on a sec!" Harper pulled the comb out from her pocket. "Is this what you're talking about?"

The man's brown eyes immediately lit up, and he gingerly took the comb out of her hands, beaming with delight. "Yes! This is it! Thank goodness! Where did you find it?" He exclaimed jubilantly.

"I found it over by that stump," Harper told him, pointing to the stump in question.

"I see…" The man let out a sheepish laugh, running a hand through his teal hair. "That explains it. It must have fallen out when I sat down to draw some pictures earlier," After that, the man bent forward in a ninety-degree angle. "Anyway, thank you very much for finding it for me."

"Uhh...it's no big deal," Harper said, waving her hands dismissively. "I'm just glad I found it when I did."

She said that, but deep down, Harper was bursting with both pride and relief. The comb's owner had turned up, and she was able to give it back to him. That in and of itself made her feel on top of the world, even if the temperature was climbing. But the thought that this man was strangely familiar kept poking at the corner of her mind. She had seen him before, but where?

"Are you new here?" The man asked curiously, cocking his head to one side. "I don't believe I've seen you around these parts."

"I moved here back in January, so that's why. I live in the farm down that way," Harper replied, pointing towards her house. "Do you live here?"

The man nodded, smiling. "Yes. Down in Tsuyukusa. I'm actually on my way there to see my grandparents."

Grandparents. Tsuyukusa. Harper's mind was racing, slamming the pieces together faster than she could process. Finally, she realized it: she _had_ seen him before! He was the man in Omiyo's picture. He was their grandson, Yuzuki! No wonder he looked so familiar. Then again, it wasn't every day she saw a man who could easily be mistaken for a woman. But who would have thought she'd run into him, and not even seven months after she moved here, no less?

"I see," Harper maintained her calm, even though her insides were doing backflips. "I'm Harper Maxwell."

The man's smile returned, bright like sunshine. "Ohh! My grandparents told me about you! They talked about you a lot in the letters they sent me! It's an honor to meet you, finally. I'm Fujiwara Yuzuki."

' _Yep, this is Yuzuki,'_ Harper thought, relieved at finally having to confirm it for herself.

"Like I said just now," Yuzuki continued. "I'm on my way to see my grandparents. Would you like to accompany me?" He offered.

"Sure!"

Just like that, Harper found herself walking alongside Yuzuki on the dirt path to Tsuyukusa. To nobody's surprise, Omiyo and Umekichi greeted Yuzuki with open arms, along with plenty of hugs and kisses to boot. Harper had to admit, it was kind of cute to see Omiyo and Umekichi looking so lively and happy now that their grandson was back home. They almost looked exactly like they did in the picture Omiyo had showed her. She could only smile as she watched them embrace each other and revel in each other's presence.

"Harper," Umekichi's voice cut through her thoughts. "Since you helped find Yuzuki's hair ornament, would you like to have lunch with us? Consider it our way of thanking you for helping him."

Lunch? Harper checked her phone. It was almost eleven, so it was close enough. But wasn't offering to let her eat with them just for finding one of his items a bit much? On the other hand, she didn't want to be rude, and she did like their company. Plus, maybe hanging out with them would take her out of this awful heat for a while.

"Sure. Thanks!"

The Fujiwara house was abuzz with lively energy, though still subdued enough that Harper didn't feel overwhelmed by any noise or people trying to get into her space. Good thing the citizens of Tsuyukusa cared about respecting people's personal boundaries. Omiyo made miso soup this time around. Thankfully, Harper was familiar with it, as she ate it once before at college. She was surprised at how good it was back then, especially with tofu, and the miso soup Omiyo made was very much the same.

"Is that your newest hair ornament, Yuzuki?" Umekichi asked, noticing the rose comb just now. "My, it's so detailed."

Yuzuki flashed a grateful smile in his grandfather's direction. "Thank you. I had a lot of free time at the medicinal spa, so I made it while I was there."

Made it? Harper's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? You _made_ this?" She asked, her voice a little higher than she intended it to be. "As in, made it yourself? By hand? All on your own?"

"I did, yes," He confirmed, unfazed by Harper's surprise. "Oh, I must have forgotten to mention. I'm a jeweler, and I specialize in making hair accessories and the like."

"Seriously?" The more she heard, the more surprised she was. She had never met someone who made jewelry in person before. "That's so cool!" She exclaimed. "It's really well made."

Well made was an understatement, and Harper wished she had a better word to convey just how gorgeous it was. The light pink roses seemed to shine under sunlight, and she could see traces of glitter lining some of the delicate petals. If she didn't know any better, she'd have assumed that the leaves were actual leaves rather than satin cut to be shaped like them. Harper knew there was no way she'd ever be able to create something like that, especially all by hand. Just from a glance, she could see that a lot of hard work had gone into its creation.

From then on, Harper and the Fujiwaras found themselves chatting and having fun in each other's company. It helped that Yuzuki was a rather swell individual; calm, polite, and having a warm, regal air about him. Definitely the kind of mature person that Harper liked. But she wasn't entirely sold on the idea of being his friend just yet. She didn't know what kinds of things he liked or liked to do in his spare time, so she didn't want to rush into it and wind up regretting it. From what she could see, Yuzuki seemed nice enough. Harper decided to try and take it slow in getting to know him, even if she got a head start with his grandparents. It wasn't like she was obligated to befriend him right now.

"Thanks for lunch, guys," Harper told them gratefully, standing up from her seat. "It was really good. I should probably get back to the farm now. Poor Reese is probably worried about me."

Yuzuki raised an eyebrow. "Reese? Who might that be?" He asked.

"My cat."

Omiyo chuckled. "I'm sure she is. Come again, Harper. You know you're always welcome here, and Yuzuki could use the company."

For just a brief moment, Harper caught Yuzuki averting his gaze, his cheeks dusted a light pink. Probably from the comment just now, she assumed. She smiled at the sight. Even someone as polite and mature like Yuzuki could get embarrassed by his family, not that she blamed him. Harper had similar reactions when her own parents did the same thing.

"Harper. Would it be alright if I accompanied you?" Yuzuki asked. "I'm interested in seeing how the farmhouse looks now. I've been gone for such a long time, I'm curious to see how it's changed."

Harper tensed up. Was Yuzuki asking to walk her home? As much as she appreciated the gentlemanly gesture, she couldn't help but wonder if that was a bit much, especially since they had only just met. A part of her wanted to reject his offer, but another part of her protested that it wasn't as bad as she was making it out to be. Maybe he just wanted to be friendly, she reasoned to herself.

"I don't see why not."

Again, the two adults walked down the dirt road, this time toward Harper's house. Yuzuki gazed serenely at the scenery around him, as if he was taking it all in, since he had mentioned being gone for a long time. Harper smiled sheepishly, also fully aware of that feeling of coming home after being away. Of course, her clothes being sticky and heavy from the humidity still irritated her to no end. After this, Harper decided she was going to stay in the house for the rest of the day...at least until she watered the crops again.

"Grandfather and Grandmother tell me you've been very good to them," Yuzuki was the first to start up conversation. "They speak very highly of you."

It was Harper's turn to be bashful, her cheeks turning just a slight red. "Oh, they're exaggerating," She stammered, pulling on her shirt collar with one finger. "They're the ones who've been really good to me. All I've really done is do some part-time jobs for them."

Yuzuki flashed a serene grin. "That may be, but they still enjoy your company," He told her. "I know you and I only just met ourselves, but I do hope we can become friends in some capacity."

"Yeah...me too," Harper wished she had something better to say to that. It didn't take long for them to make it to Harper's house soon afterward. "So...I guess I'll see you later then."

The teal haired man nodded affirmatively. "Yes. I'll see you later."

Harper watched as Yuzuki disappeared into the trees as he headed back to the crossroads. She wasted no time going inside, happy to finally be out of the heat.

* * *

True to her mental decision from earlier, Harper spent the rest of the day in her house, not doing much other than spin around like a top and gallop across the room, releasing all of the pent-up tension and energy she had accumulated from all the socialization. Spending too much time with people took way too much out of her, or if not that, made her feel like she was trapped. Sure, the Fujiwaras were nice, but Tsuyukusa had a different culture and etiquette rules than other places, and as much as she wanted to respect them and adhere to them, constantly keeping them in mind and thinking about them all the time while talking or gesturing or doing everything else, or even while sitting still, was just too overwhelming.

Once she found herself worn out, she plopped right down on the couch, happy to be off her feet. "Wow. I can't believe I managed to live here for almost seven months now," Harper realized.

She had lived here since January, and it was almost July. All that time, Harper lived in this little farm house, doing work and whatever else she wanted all by herself. To think that at one point in her life, she wasn't sure if she'd ever move out, live on her own, and be truly independent. There was still a lot she needed to learn, such as driving, but having done all of this...Harper couldn't deny that she had accomplished a lot. Probably more than she ever thought she was capable of, and she was only twenty-two years old. Normally, the prospect of moving out and living completely on their own was terrifying. Some aspects were still terrifying to her. She still didn't know anything about mortgage, insurance, or even how to call a repairman in case the house needed some repairs.

But she was here. Harper Leigh Maxwell was here, living on her own, fulfilling her dream.

Her cell phone rang to life before she could ponder any further. This time, she wasn't surprised like she would be when her phone would ring unexpectedly. She was quick to answer it, not caring that she was lying face up on her couch. When she answered the phone, facetime automatically activated, and familiar faces greeted her, all smiles and joy.

" _Hiiiii Harper!"_ Lynn announced her presence right away, still cheering even as she waved her hand in front of the screen. Behind her, Marlena was smiling.

"Mom! Lynn!" Harper exclaimed. "Hey, guys!" She immediately sat right up. "What's up?"

" _We had some time on our hands, so we thought we'd call,"_ Her mother explained. _"By the way, we actually have a surprise for you."_

"Like what?"

Marlena and Lynn exchanged looks before Lynn took it upon herself to announce the surprise. _"Guess what? Mom and I are gonna come and visit you!"_

Visit? Her mother and Lynn? Happiness completely overwhelmed her in that moment. After so many months of being apart, she could see and feel her mother and sister again. Just the idea of it made her want to burst into an explosion of joy. "No way! Awesome!"

" _School's out for the summer, and Mom finally managed to get some time off work coming up,"_ Lynn went on. _"So it was perfect!"_

"When do you guys plan on coming, exactly?" Harper asked.

" _July 18th,"_ Marlena confirmed. _"I'm off the entire week starting that day, and we've been missing you here in Beldingsville. I'm sorry if this is a bit of a surprise."_

"No no! Not at all! I'd love for you guys to visit!" If anything, Harper wished they'd get here right now. As happy as she was about living on her own, she did miss her family terribly. "But I don't have any extra beds for you to sleep in, though…"

" _It's alright,"_ Marlena reassured, her serene smile unchanging. _"We discussed this with Frank, and we've got that covered, so you don't need to worry about that."_

"Wait, Uncle Frank? Does he know you plan on visiting?"

" _Yes. We wanted to make sure things were set in stone first before telling you about it, so we're sorry if we left you in the dark."_

"It's fine."

" _Oooh, I can't wait to visit your farm!"_ Lynn effused, her light blue eyes shining like a lake reflecting sunlight. _"You HAVE to tell me about all of your adventures! Do you have any cows or chickens yet?"_

Harper shook her head. "No, Lynn. No animals yet. I'm still on the fence about that one. But I have made some new friends, and I'd love to introduce you to them," She knew Lynn would absolutely love Lisette. Maybe even Sumomo, Yaichi, and Tatsumi, since they were close to Lynn's age, or a little younger. Lynn was always the outgoing, social butterfly in the family, and she always seemed to make friends wherever she went. Admittedly, Harper had always been a little jealous, since she herself always had trouble making friends and keeping them, what with being autistic and all. But she had come to miss having Lynn around.

" _That's wonderful, Harper!"_ Marlena beamed. _"Oh, before I forget, we'll be bringing more of your things with us, and while we're out there, if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to help you decorate your house a bit."_

Now that would be a big help. Harper did like her house, but since she didn't know much about interior decorating, it was still a little dilapidated on the inside, even though she did clean and dust parts of it to make it look somewhat nice. "I'd really appreciate that. Also, there's absolutely ONE thing we absolutely NEED to do when you get here."

" _And what's that?"_

"Buy an air conditioner. Seriously, summer is still hot as hell!"

" _I can imagine,"_ Lynn piped in. _"Oh! Dad says he can't come with us because work's tied him all up, and he said to tell you he's sorry he can't make it."_

"It's alright," Harper gave her a reassuring nod. "I know Dad's job isn't the kind where he can just randomly take days off willy-nilly, so I'm not mad."

For a few more minutes, Harper chatted with her mother and sister, happy to see their faces and hear their voices after so long. But knowing they were going to come visit her soon just made her impatient. She wanted to hug them and bask in their warmth RIGHT NOW, she missed them so much. Of course, the wait made their visit all the more exciting to look forward to. Lynn told Harper about school, all the friends she made, her favorite teachers, the classes she enjoyed, and some of the places they visited in Beldingsville, namely a cute little aquarium that had lots of cool marine animals, with her favorite ones being the sawsharks.

" _Alright, Lynn,"_ Marlena looked down at her daughter. _"I think it's time we let Harper go. She probably needs to make dinner."_

" _Awwww!"_ Lynn was quick to express her disappointment, balling her hands into little fists in doing so. _"I wanna talk to her some more!"_

Harper chuckled at the sight. "It's okay, Lynn. We can talk more next time. Besides, we'll spend plenty of time together when you guys come and visit."

" _You bet!"_ Just like that, Lynn was back to her happy self. _"Bye, Harper! Love you!"_ She gave a quick wave before trotting off the screen, leaving her sister and mother alone together.

" _I can't wait to see you, Harper,"_ Marlena told her. "It sounds like you're doing very well, especially from what Frank has told me."

"Same to you. I better go now. Bye, Mom. Love you."

" _Love you too, Harper. Take care. Be sure to eat healthy food and brush your teeth and don't push yourself too hard!"_

"I will. Bye!"

With the press of a button, the call ended. Still, her mother and sister were coming to visit...Harper laid back down on the couch and her hands flapped up and down from the excitement of it all. She wished they'd come and visit right now. Waiting a few whole weeks was gonna be torture in the best way possible.

"Nnnnnngh! Mom and Lynn are gonna visit! Ohhhh YES!" Harper cheered right out loud, throwing her arms into the air.

There was so much she wanted to tell them and show them. But now it was time to re-water the crops, so Harper got right back up and went back to work.

* * *

 **A/N** : Yay! Yuzuki finally appears! Also, I really need to stop updating so slowly. Well, that's life for you. Job hunting, driving lessons, visiting relatives out of state...a lot's been happening. But I finally managed to finish this chapter and I hope to work on more later! The scene with Lisette is basically the entirety of her second friend event, just with some dialogue changed around a bit and Harper's additions to it. By the way, a little bit of trivia for you guys: All of the names of the places Harper's lived are actually the names of various places and settings in old 19th-20th century children's books, namely ones I'm familiar with. Since I gave everyone the last names of various famous writers, I thought I'd keep with the book theme and use place names as well. Did you recognize any of them? If you didn't, here they are just for funsies!

Avonlea - Anne of Green Gables  
Misselthwaite - The Secret Garden  
Riverboro - Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm  
Concord - Little Women  
Beldingsville - Pollyanna


End file.
